A Tangled World: Draconic Park II
by Foxhelm
Summary: Six Years after Draconic Park, Eugene Fitzherbert is told by St. North about another island with Dragons. St. North seeks to preserve the island from InGen. Only when Rapunzel is mentioned does Eugene go, but it's a rescue mission. Meanwhile Meter Gothel, InGen'snew CEO, is planning to harvest the dragons to get InGen out of debt. It's a race against time to save this Tangled World
1. It's a Rescue Mission

Park 2 of the, thus far, four part Draconic Park/World series with Sousuke Tenki

Acknowledgments: All The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Tangled, HTTYD, Frozen, Rise of the Guardians, Wreck-It-Ralph and other movies' contents are all own by the respective owners.

 **A Tangled World: Draconic Park II**

Introduction: Isla Santa Site B

It has been six years since InGen shutdown Draconic Park on Isla Dreki. 87 miles south west of it is the island of Isla Santa. A Yacht is not far from the shore, while on the beach a few men dressed in white cruise-line uniforms, but more upper-crust are preparing the luncheon for their employers. As one is pouring two class of a fine white wine a woman's voice is heard, "Thank you so much, that looks fabulous. Thank you Geoffrey."

A man's voice is heard in reply, "You're welcomed."

"We'll also take a bottle of red as well, thank you." the woman says as the white wine bottle is put in something to keep it chilled. A hand takes the glass that was just poured and it is taken to man reading while reclining in a very fancy beach chair, as the woman's voice is again heard "Right now..."

As the glass is handed to man reading, "Thank you, Barry." the man says to man handing him the wine.

"You're welcome, sir." the server says.

At this time another man in the uniform delivers to a young girl what looks like a small sandwich.

"Thank you." the girls says, accepting the sandwich and starting to walk away along the beach and passes a table set for lunch.

The woman's voice is heard again, "That looks wonderful. A beautiful day." She, the woman is dressed in a peach-pink sundress and she stands at the table looking at it. She turns to see the little girl passing, "Sweetie, where are you going?" she asks the girl.

"To eat my sandwich" the girl answers.

"You'll ruin your appetite. We've having prawns, your favorite." The woman says as the girl continues to walk along the shore.

"I don't like prawns." The girl counters, she actually likes prawns but right now she just wants to enjoy her sandwich.

"Now Darling don't wander off." the woman says to the girl.

"For God's sake, leave her alone, Deirdre." The man calls out, to him this is not an issue that there needs to be an argument over.

"Sweet heart, why don't you play with your ball." Dierdre suggests.

"Don't be so annoying!" the girl says and walks off.

Dierdre turns and walks to where her husband is, "Darling, what about snakes?"

Almost dismissively, the man replies, "There aren't any snakes on the beach. Just let her enjoy herself for once."

Dierdre goes to where the white wine is being chilled, she's about to pour herself a glass but she stops. "Edward?" She says.

"Yes, ma'am?" Edward replies.

The little girl skips along the shore, humming to herself. She starts to go a little farther inland. Just as she passes a few plants growing under a tree, she barely notices it moves, but she does and she also hears something. She turns and from the undergrowth a Terrible Terror jumps out. "Well, hello there," the girl says to the Terror. She kneels no to the ground, "What are you, some sort of strange lizard or something?" she asks. The Terror comes closer to her. "Are you hungry? Here take a bite. Its roast beef." the girl says as she offers some of her sandwich.

"It's good, come on. I won't hurt you." The Terror accepts the meat. "Mommy! Daddy! You've got to come see this! I found something!" She shouts turning away from the Terror. As she turns back she notices more of the Terrors. She almost jumps to her feet and as the tiny dragons begin to surround her she tries to back away.

Back at the table as the meal is served, "Cathy, darling, lunch is ready!" the woman calls out.

Back at the spot, Cathy tries to get away calmly, "Are you looking at this?" she asks, referring to her sandwich. "I'm afraid there isn't enough to go around." one of the Terrors jumps at her and she throws her sandwich. She screams.

Back at luncheon spot, they hear the screams. Dierdre turning to her husband asks, "Paul?"

"Cathy?" Paul asks. They still hear the screams. And they all bolt.

"Will you hurry up?" Dierdre shouts, but she really doesn't need to say so as they all over take her. She is the last to see the scene and presses her hands to the sides of her face and screams.

Ch. 1 This is a rescue mission

Almost Three Days later, in the Boardroom of InGen photos are presented to the board members, a woman's voice is heard, "These pictures were taken in a hospital in Costa Rica, 48 hours ago." all the people turn to see a woman in her forties with gray eyes and long curly raven hair, "Apparently a British family on a yacht cruise stumbled upon Site B and elected to have luncheon there. The little girl will be physically fine, her parents, however, are well... angry. They are seeking restitution. Sadly that's hardly news to us. Here is a partial list of the wrongful death settlement and other expenses: The family of Pitch Black, $36.5 million; Family of Drago Bludvist, $12.6 million; Breach of contract with Walt Arendelle $24.8 million; Damaged or destroyed equipment, $17.3 million; Demolition, deconstruction and disposal of Isla Dreki facilities, organic and inorganic $126 million; Salvaging of select assets and storage, $250 million. The list goes on, ladies and gentlemen- research funding, both originally from InGen and acquired from Biosyn, media payoffs, political gray-mail..." She stops stacking the folders and looks to the board members. She knows she's close to having them.

She continues, "While there is no denying that the truth will cost a pretty penny. Silence is where the real expense lies." She pauses to let the board members take in what she said. After a few seconds, "Well this madness must stop, now. Members of the board, this corporation has been bleeding from the throat for the last six years. You have sat patiently and listened to ecology lectures, while Nicholas St. North signed your checks and spent your money. You watched your stocks value drop from $78.25 per share to $19 flat with no good end in sight. And all along, we have held significant product assets which we attempt to hide at great expense when we could harvest those assets with minimal cost and display them for profit. Enormous profit. Enough income to wipe out six years of lawsuits and damage control and unpleasant infighting with-in a quarter. But the one thing, the only thing standing in the way between us and this windfall is a born-again naturalist that happens to be both our majority-share holder and CEO. Believe me, I don't enjoy having to say these things about my own uncle. But Mother Nature doesn't pay my salary, you do."

She pauses and takes out a piece of paper, she reads from it out loud, "Whereas the CEO has engaged in wasteful and negligent business practices to farther his own personal beliefs, whereas these actions have affected the finances of the company by incurring significant losses, whereas the shareholders have been materially harm by these losses—Thereby, be it resolved that Nicholas St. North should be removed from the office of CEO effective immediately. I move the resolution be put to a vote, do I have a second?"

"I second the motion." It is Dr. Weselton, he had become a member of the board as part of the deal he made to sell Biosyn to InGen. "Mr. Maguire, please poll the members by show of hands."

The senior board-member, Mr. Maguire reluctantly says, "All in favor of InGen Corporate Resolution 213C, show by raising your right hand." All raise their hands with Maguire being the last. "InGen Corporate Resolution 213C passes. Ms. Gothel, you are now the CEO of InGen."

A few weeks later, on a subway platform Eugene Fitzherbert waits for the train to stop, he hates traveling. Four years ago he published a tell-all book about what happened on Isla Dreki titled 'God Creates Dragons: How We Survived Isla Dreki' and almost instantly InGen has tried to turn him into a quake. Two years ago his publishers printed a new edition turning it into Science Fiction and named it "God Creates Dragons: Man's Foley". Last year his university had given him the ultimatum take a two year sabbatical or lose his tenure.

Well he needed a break from college students so he elected the sabbatical and he spent most of the time on the road with his band. 'Flynn Rider and the Stabbington Brothers' were in more demand than ever, thanks to the change in show line-up with the rest of the band and crew, known as the Snuggly Ducklings, preforming some of their own stuff, the lighting crew doing a light show, Hook-hand the keyboard player doing a piano solo to name a couple.

However, so many have bought InGen's lies that Eugene rarely traveled without a band member or not riding Maximus, a horse that his girlfriend's father, Roy Corona gave him as a birthday gift. Eugene still believes that the jester was meant to keep Eugene too busy to deflower Roy's little princess, Rapunzel.

Eugene takes a seat on the train and thankfully few people notice him, He thanks whatever god Rapunzel worships for that. It's not that Eugene is atheist or such, but having aged out of a Catholic ran orphanage, he's not so such if a god exist. A young man, in his mid-twenties, sees Eugene and realizes who he is. Eugene notices this because the young-man approaches and snaps of his fingers trying to remember Eugene's name. Eugene tries to ignore him.

"You're him, right?" the young-man asks, as he sets down. Eugene tries to act like he's reading the paper. "The scientist? The guy? I saw you on TV." The man continues. He leans in to try to get Eugene's attention. "I believed you." he says and after a couple of seconds mocks Eugene by saying "Roar" and using his arms to act like a huge jaw. Eugene doesn't acknowledge the young man. All Eugene can do is wait for his stop and hope the young-man doesn't get off with him or that the young-man's stop is before Eugene's.

Sometime later that day, a butler walks inside a large house to the front door. After opening the door for Eugene, "Shall I tell Mr. St. North whom is calling?" he asks Eugene.

"Eugene Fitzherbert, I was summoned." Eugene informs the butler as he walks in. As the butler leaves to inform St. North, Eugene looks around the atrium. St. North really cannot escape the whole toyshop at the North Pole thing.

One think does grab his attention a card with Krampus on it. "Dr. Fitzherbert!" comes the voice he had not heard in years, Anna Arendelle. Eugene turns and sees Anna and Elsa coming down from upstairs.

"Hello Dr. Fitzherbert." Elsa says a little more formal.

"Hey, it's been a while. It's good to see you both. Look you, Elsa you what now 18? You are becoming beautiful woman and Anna you're 14... 15, right? You're going give Elsa a run for her money. How are you two doing?"

"We're working out how to make a TV series. It's sort of an after-school educational thing, it's going to be humorous as well." Anna answers.

"We're using Olaf as one of the hosts, but we could use a real-life main host." Elsa points out, slyly offering it to Eugene.

"My son, Kristoff, is working as CDL driver, but I think he would gladly take the offer." Eugene says as he reaches for his wallet and pulling out a business card. "Here is card," he hands Elsa the business card on it is Kristoff's contact information.

"So you're here to see Grandpa?" Anna asks.

"Yeah, he called me out of the blue. I have no idea what's it about." Eugene answers, he's about to make a couple of comments but he sees a sadness in the girl's faces. "Is everything okay?" He asks instead.

"Well, not exactly." Elsa says, looking back up the stairs. Eugene turns to face it and sees several people coming down, most are corporate lawyers by the looks of their suits. The last one, he recognizes as Meter Gothel.

"Well, well if it isn't the infamous 'Flynn Rider'." Gothel says, turning to a desk that is on the other side of the stairs while the rest of her group exits the house. "Here to share a few campfire stories with my uncle?" There has never been good feelings between the two.

"You can convince the idiots of the Washington Post and Skeptical Inquirer of whatever you want. You know I was there. I know what happened and so do you." Eugene has had enough of society jabbing at him, he's ready to draw first blood for once.

"Do you actually believe that everyone who chose discretion did so for a nefarious motive? Even Anna and Elsa?" Gothel asks, turning to face the desk as she takes out a few files. She's looking over a few papers checking that all the 'i's are dotted, the 't's are crossed and minding her 'p's & 'q's.

"Don't bring them into this! Neither you nor I can have the slightest idea of what these girls actually went through or what Valka or CJ went through. This is not some game." Eugene retorts, angrily at Gothel bringing others into this.

"No, but you signed a nondisclosure agreement before you went to the island that explicitly forebode you from discussing what you saw until the park opened and you violated that agreement." Gothel points out.

"That agreement was rendered nun and void the instant The Red Death tried to turn over the car Anna and Elsa were in. Do you know why it took Black almost a week to get me to consent? That's because I went over it word by word, sentience by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. And I cite the agreement, highlighting the clause in question in the first chapter. And you lied about the deaths of two people, you stuffed misinformation to the public, you tried to make me look like a nut. Almost cost me my livelihood-" Eugene counters, but pauses. He wants to spill Gothel's blood, but he knows he must wait.

"We've made a more than generous compensatory offer for your injuries." Gothel retorts un-phased by Eugene's anger.

"Yeah, but that was a payoff and an insult. When you spin reality and cover up evidence, it hurt more than just my reputation." Eugene always called a duck a duck, he never was one for political correctness, being tact-less is a different story.

"As I recall, your university revoked your tenure, for your selling of wild stories to the press." Gothel reminds Eugene of his current state.

"You're spinning reality right there. They gave me the ultimatum to take a two year sabbatical or forgo my tenure. There was no money given to me or mine from the publishing house for either editions. I didn't sell anything, never accepted a cent and I told the truth." He just wants to ring her neck, but he knows it will be anti-climactic.

"Your version of the truth." Gothel argues.

"There aren't "versions" of the truth. And let me tell you something, InGen can't keep spewing out-"

"InGen, is my responsibility now, and I will jealously defend its interests." Gothel cuts Eugene off as she for the first time in the conversation looks Eugene in the face.

"You're responsibility? What about, Nick?" Eugene is taken aback at this, for all he knew St. North owned the whole company.

"It is our board of directors I must face, not my uncle. But trust me, your problems are about to be rendered moot. In a few weeks' time, they'll be long forgotten." Gothel says as she starts to walk out the house, but before she passes Eugene, he grabs her forearm

"Not by me!" Eugene says just above a whisper.

"Careful. This suit cost more than your education." Gothel says pointing out Eugene's community college and state university degrees.

"And it's worth not even half." Eugene mutters to himself as he lets go. He takes a few calming breaths and heads to where he knows St. North is, upstairs.

"It's good to see you again Eugene." St. North says as Eugene enters St. North's room. St. North is in his bed. He is clearly not doing well, he looks like he'll die before Christmas.

After looking around it, "Seriously what is it with you and Santa Claus?" Eugene asks. St. North just chuckles. "But to honest, I cannot say that the experience is mutual. So why did you ask me here, what couldn't you say over the phone?" Eugene elects to get the point.

"Well after the fiasco with the park, things haven't been easy for InGen, your book aside. Thank God for Site B." St. North replies, the last part was really more for himself than Eugene.

"Excuse me, Site B?" Eugene asks.

"The island of Isla Dreki was planned to be what was shown to the public, the showroom if you will. The facilities there were way too small to make enough dragons for Draconic Park to work. Site B was to be the actual factory floor. It was located on Isla Santa, about 90 miles from Isla Dreki. There we bred most of the animals, saw which species would survive in the environment, conducted actual field exams of which animals that we could use at the park, nurtured the animals for a few months and then move them into the park." St. North informs as Eugene approaches the bed. St. North was mostly bed ridden.

"Really? Now that I think about it, it makes sense." Eugene comments as he is at the foot of the bed.

"After our evacuation, Hurricane Clarissa forced a closing of our facility on Site B. Call it an act of God. We had to evacuate and the animals were released to mature on their own. How did you so eloquently put it... 'Life will find a way'." St. North says as he tries to sit-up. "And now we have a completely new ecological system on that island, with dozens of species living in their own social groups without fences without boundaries, without constraining technologies. And for the six years I've tried to keep it safe from human interference." St. North finishes with a healthy amount of pride.

Eugene is surprised at all this, "That's right, that's right. Hopefully you've kept the island quarantined and contained."

"We never bred an Aetus genus dragon, and there has been no sighs that any of the other dragons could swim." St. North reminds Eugene.

"That may be true, but I'm in shock about all this. I mean, that they're still alive. E. Aster said you bred them lysine-deficient. Shouldn't they've kicked after seven days without supplements?" Eugene asks, rubbing the left side of his face.

"All true, but by God, they're flourishing. That's one of a thousand questions I want the team to answer." St. North says in a near laugh.

"Team?" Eugene asks in terror. People on an island with dragons, has no-one learned from last time.

"Yes. I've organized an expedition to go in, thank you, to make the most spectacular living fossil record the world has ever seen." St. North says as Eugene helps him to his feet.

"Go in and document? You mean with people?" Eugene asks as St. North leads him to a desk.

"Yes, the animals won't know they're there, well shouldn't. Very low impact. Strictly observation and documentation. Our satellite infer-reds show that the animals are fiercely territorial." St, North says as he points the monitor of the computer in his room.

"The carnivores are mostly in the interior of the island so the research team can stay in the outer rim, limiting injuries and such." The two turn away from the computer. Eugene is clearly showing he does not approve of this. St. North attempts to assure Eugene, "Don't worry. I'm not making the same mistakes again."

"True, but since you're making a whole lot of new ones, I have to wonder if you in fact learned from the last time." Eugene pauses for a second. "Nick! So, there's another island with dragons, no fences, not even one of those little white ones from the 50's, and you want to send people in... very few people... on the ground, right? And who are these four lunatics you're trying to con into this?" he asks in utter disbelief that anyone would want to go, even if they only read the fictionalized edition of his book or heard about it, truth be told it's a bestseller two years running and going strong.

Acknowledging that it was not easy to form the team, "Well it was difficult to convince most of them as to what they would see and in the end I had to open my pocketbook to get them there." St. North confesses. He pulls out a few folders and starts handing them to Eugene, "But there's Ralph W. It, who is a video documentarian, and Finn Hofferson, who's our field equipment expert. I wanted Felix F. It Jr. but Finn is more than qualified. We have our paleontologist." He pauses and turns to Eugene. "And I was, however, hoping that you might be the fourth." St. North then led away from the desk.

"Now we, InGen, have been on the verge of Ch. 11 [1] ever since that accident in the park. So there are those in the company who want to exploit Site B in order to bail us out. They've been planning it for years, and I've been able to stop them until now." St. North stops turning to face Eugene.

"But a few weeks ago, a British family on a yacht cruise stumbled across the island and their little girl was injured. Oh she's alright now. But the board, convinced by my niece Meter Gothel, has used the incident to take control of InGen from me, well as CEO, but I still own 75% of the stock. Now it's only a matter of time before Isla Santa, this lost world is found and pillage. Public opinion in the US and Costa Rica is the only thing I can use to preserve it, and to rally that kind of support I need a complete photographic record of those animals alive and in their natural habitats." He finishes hoping this convinces Eugene to be part of the team.

"So you've gone from capitalist to naturalist in just six years... wow." Eugene muses.

Placing his hands on Eugene's shoulders, "This is our last chance of redemption." St, North says.

"Nick," Eugene says and shakes his head.

"No?" St. Nick asks sadly.

"Of course no. And I'm going to contact the three members of your team and stop them from going. Now who is the paleontologist by the way, because Valka is not stupid enough to sign up for that, even if you fund the Isle of Night* site for another 30 years." Eugene says as he turns to go back to desk and start making calls.

St. North is hesitant to say it, "Um, now before you do or say anything, this whole thing was in fact her idea and she came to me, I want you to know this."

"Who did?" Eugene stops and turns on a dime, he's hoping St. North is not suggesting who he thinks.

"Leave it to you, Eugene, to have associations, affiliations, even liaisons with the best and brightest people in so many fields. Some of whom are part of my family." St. North states. There is only two members of St. North's family that show interests in paleontology and only one is actually a paleontologist.

"You didn't call Rapunzel did you?" Eugene asks, coming to the correct conclusion.

"Paleontological behavior study is a brand new field, and Rapunzel Corona is on that frontier. Her theories on parenting and nurturing among carnivores has framed the debate. What are you doing?" St. North reminds Eugene of the talents of the young woman that has broken his smolder as Eugene turns to St. North's desk.

Starting to panic, Eugene asks, "Where's your phone?"

Just as Eugene finds it, "It's too late, she's already there. The others are meeting her in three days." St. North in forms as Eugene turns to face him.

"You sent my girl-" Eugene starts.

"Oh please Eugene, give me some credit for once, she's been my granddaughter for far longer. 'Sent' is hardly the word. She wouldn't be restrained. She was already in San Fransokyo at the animal park doing finishing a contrasting research between the lions there and the ones on the preserver I set up in Kenya."

St. North pours Eugene a glass of water and walks back to the desk, continuing, "And it's only a couple hour's flight. She was so adamant about making the initial foray by herself." As St. North hands the glass to Eugene, who accepts it.

"That young woman likens herself to Dian Fossey [2], 'Observation without interference' she said. She went on and on, you know how she is. Remember how she was when she was your graduate student, how after you were injured, she sought you out. And then she went all the way to a hospital in Costa Rica to ask somebody she didn't even k now if the rumors were true." St. North reminds Eugene of Rapunzel's inquisitive nature.

"If you want to leave your name on something, that's fine. STOP PUTTING IT ON OTHER PEOPLE'S HEADSTONES!" Eugene shouts as he starts to leave the room.

As Eugene pauses at the doorway, St. North tries to assure Eugene, "She'll be fine. She's spent years studying African, Asian and South American predators. She knows all the safety techniques we hear about and many only the locals know. She's knows what she's doing. And you know, only a papal threat of excommunication can stop her from doing anything. And believe me when the resear-"

Eugene cuts St. North off there, "It is not a research expedition now, it is a rescue mission and it's leaving five hours ago." He leaves the room as fast as he can, he's got a rescue mission to perform.

St. North walks back to his bed and after counting something on his fingers he smiles.

At that moment in Mombasa Kenya at an open air bar, an Indian man in his forties works his way through the hustle and bustle, mostly caused by an ill-behaving American Tourist. He finds his target, a man the same age, British and alone. "Lungri [3]" the other man says pointing to the Indian not looking from his order, which is some scotch.

The Indian asks, "How could you tell, Clayton?" and they embrace like brothers.

"That cologne I send to your wife every year, she's a smart woman marking her territory. Please sit down, Shere Khan. So how is the 'Lion Ruler' and what brings you here?" Clayton asks his old friend.

The Indian sits down and chuckles at his nick-names. It's clear by looking at him if he was not human, he would be a large Bengal Tiger. "I am alright. I am here for you. I got a call from a woman in California who's going to Costa Rica or thereabouts. If she's to believed it will be a... unique expedition. And very well-funded".

"Well, I'm a very well-funded … well there is no need for curse language. You should go by yourself." Clayton says looking at the present.

"But we always had great success together, and that's not including those few time we took Gaston." Shere Khan points out, this would be one last hora, a chance to re-live the old hunts of their twenties.

"A true hunter, like you and I, doesn't mind if the animal is able to get away. But we were a firing squad, you and I, not enough escapes." Clayton points out about the over-efficiency of their joint hunting.

Shere Khan looks over Clayton's points, "Fair enough, but this particular quarry I believe you will find... up to the challenge." Shere Khan knows more, but he also knows he has find a fault in Clayton's new life.

"Then it's probably illegal. These days, it's a more serious crime to shot a tiger than to shoot your own parent. Tigers have advocates." The two look over current hunting laws both national and international. Not that either are big fans of hunting animals to extinction. They both enjoy the act of hunting, but not necessarily killing the animal, in fact their favorite hunts where the ones where the quarry got away. Clayton and Shere Khan hear the ruckus being caused by the tourist. Clayton is clearly done with this savage behavior. "Excuse me, Shere Khan." Clayton gets up and walks over to the table of the American tourists. He is able to help the waitress get out of there. Turning to the clearly the leader of this pack and the most... savage of the lot. "You, sir... are no gentlemen." all the others oh and aw and laugh.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" the man Clayton directs his attention to asks.

"For a true man, I know of none greater." Clayton points out the tourist's behavior as being what it is, un-manly.

The tourist looks at Clayton, "Buzz off you old bastard." he says.

"Say, what does one have to do to... what's you're colloquialism... pick a fight? Bring your mother into it?" Clayton asks, knowing that this man needs a lesson in manners.

"Are you kidding, I could take you with one arm tied behind my back." the tourist says dismissively.

Clayton knows that the opposite is true so he elects to prove it, "Really?" he asks. This is the most action he had in a while.

Clayton has his left hand tied behind his back and the two face each other. "I meant my ar-" Clayton punches the tourist right in the nose knocking him off his feet. "Cheap shot."

"Does the lioness warn the Zebra when she's ready to attack? Does the cheetah tell the gazelle when it should run? You said you can take me like this." Clayton asks. The Tourist is enraged and gets back onto his feet and starts attacking, Clayton effortlessly bobs, ducks and evades every shot. After a few more seconds, Clayton knocks the tourist out. Everyone, even the other Americans, cheered Clayton. His left arm is untied and he walks back to his table. "Sorry, old bean, what where we talking about?"

Shere Khan mouth's a 'wow', "You broke that man's nose and did a number on his jaw for no other reason other than your own boredom. Tell me the truth, aren't you even the least bit interested in knowing this expedition's quarry?" Shere Khan asks pointing out that the need to at least track a great animal is still there in Clayton.

"Shere, go on up to my ranch and take a look around the trophy room. And then tell me what kind of quarry could possibly of any interest to me?" Clayton asks.

Shere Khan gives a devilish smirk as he gives a deep chuckle.

Author's Notes:

First cast update: Everyone form Draconic Park present reprise their respective roles. The mentioned Finn Hofferson is Finn Hofferson from HTTYD Dragons and fills in the role of Eddie Carr, Ralph W. It is Wreck-It-Ralph and fills in the role of Nick Van Owen, Rapunzel Corona is Sarah Harding. Felix F. It Jr. is 'Fix-It-Felix Jr.', he serves no actual role but he is alluded to often. Actually introduced characters, M. Gothel fills in the role of Peter Ludlow, Clayton from 'Tarzan' is Roland Tembo and Shere Khan from 'The Jungle Book' is Ajary Sidhu.

As for dragons filling in the role of dinosaurs, Terrible Terrors are Compsognathus or 'Compy'

[1] Ch. 11 here refers to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

[2] Dian Fossey was one of the most famous primatologist. Her focus was gorillas and it is because of her time among them that we know so much about their actual behavior. She was murdered in 1985 most likely by poachers or people whose livelihood became dependent on wildlife tourism, two things she opposed. Her opposition to pouching is straightforward, as for wildlife tourism, it was because gorillas are actually highly susceptible to human illness.

[3] Lungri is a name used in the actual book "The Jungle Book" for the character Shere Khan, it means 'lamed one' and was given to Shere Khan by his mother because of his bad foot. Rudyard Kipling never identified which was Shere Khan's bad or lame foot, I will expound on why I use it late


	2. She Can't Not Touch

**Chapter 2: She can't not touch**

Later that day inside a shop in San Fransokyo, Finn Hofferson is assembling gear for their trip, many pieces custom made for the operation. A fair number of people are working on everything, some welding there, some packing there, it's a mess.

"You can't just shave off three days from my time-line and expect everything to be ready. I am not fully supplied and I haven't had the chance to field test most of this." It is the booming voice of tall blonde man, clearly of Norse descent. Next to him is Eugene.

"I get it Finn, but we should have left 5 hours ago." Eugene says, dialing Rapunzel's number to her satellite phone on the satellite phone Finn gave him earlier, with no results. "Why did you give her a satellite phone if it doesn't work? Why is it not working?"

Finn makes a mental note of Eugene's behavior assuming he's an over-reactive boyfriend. "It's not a LANDline. It could be anything right now. A solar flare, no satellite within range to synchronize, Hel, it could be as simple as her turning it off. Okay, half-air in the tires guys, we're flying pressurized."

"Does she know how to use it?" Eugene asks, he's frustrated at all this.

"Does she know... wow the sex must be out-of this world." Finn says shaking his head.

"What?" Eugene asks befuddled at Finn's implication.

"Clearly you know almost nothing about your girlfriend if you have to ask me if she knows how to work a satellite phone, so you two must have sex that makes Freya blush." Finn comments.

"She's Catholic, they have this big thing against premarital sex." Eugene answers, he realizes how he now looks as a boyfriend.

"Wow... she's a saint. If it was me I would have dumped your ass. But back to you're question. Are you kidding me? She's been faxing me refinements on 50% of the plans for this stuff." Finn answers. Just then Eugene starts hitting the satellite phone against one of the vehicles.

"Hey, hey. Don't do that you got to baby it a little, show it some love." Finn says taking the phone away from Eugene.

"I'll love it when it works." Eugene retorts his frustration ever so apparent.

"You're a Chaos Theorist right?" Finn asks, he knows the answer.

"Yes." Eugene answers matter-of-factually.

"Then stop increasing the number of variables with that attitude. The phone will work when you love it. It's like a woman, you love her then everything goes smoothly, you cannot expect for everything to go smoothly and then love her." Finn says and holds it tenderly.

At that time a van backs into the garage. A tall man, almost 7 feet tall wearing a red shirt and overall gets out. "Thanks for the two minute warning, Finn," the man says to Finn.

Turning to the recent arrival, Finn starts."If I wanted sarcasm I'd stay in Berk, Ralph. Ralph W. It, this is Eugene Fitz-"

Ralph cuts Finn off, "Flynn Rider, Vanellope's dad. I love your music."

Eugene looks at Ralph and finally makes his own connection with him, "Wait..Ralph... You're 'Wreck-It-Ralph'? Vanellope always talks about you when we chat. I thought you were into demolition and such. So in photography, what's your background, wildlife?" Eugene asks.

"Wildlife, combat, you name it. I've worked for Night Line, during that I was Rwanda, Chechnya, all over Bosnia **[1]**. I also do some volunteer work with Greenpeace every once in awhile." Ralph answers as he unloads his equipment from the van.

"Greenpeace?" Finn asks, the confusion on his face, "What brought you there?"

Eugene answers Finn, "For most men, it's the women. Greenpeace is almost 80% female. My band I did a couple of concerts to raise money for them and most of the Snuggly Ducklings do something with them once a year."

"Myself I care about this planet." Ralph tells as he gets the last of his equipment out of the van.

"Noble," Eugene and Finn comment in unison.

"Noble was last year. This year I'm getting paid. St. North's check cleared or else I wouldn't be going on this wild goose chase." Ralph then starts taking his equipment to where it is going to be stored for the trip to Isla Santa.

"You should know, that where we're going is the only place in the world were the geese chase you!" Eugene projects loudly trying to call attention to the dangers of where they are going.

"Dad, Dad, Dad!" It's a girl with black hair, in a green hoodie, and is a little younger than Anna, she runs to Eugene and is able to jump into his arm, despite the luggage she had.

"Vanellope, my honey, you found it. What took you so long?" Eugene asks he returns the embrace and puts Vanellope back on her feet.

"I couldn't get a cab." Vanellope answers.

"It's alright. Listen, I've gotta tell you something. We need to talk." Eugene says to Vanellope.

A few minutes later, "I don't even know this woman." Vanellope says as she spins around in the chair, she and Eugene are in the office of the warehouse.

"Calhoun, you've known her for 10 years, you mother often asked her, or Felix or Ralph... who happens to be the Ralph coming with me... different matter, but you get my point."

"She doesn't even have a SNES **[2]** , such a troglodyte **[3]**." Vanellope says unhappy about the arrangements.

"Wow, cruel. Excellent word choice, but cruel." Eugene comments at his daughter's vocabulary

"Why can't I stay with Rapunzel? I mean we go go-carting together, we have girls nights with her cousins, she lets the rest of Sugar Rush **[4]** comes over, heck she even lets me see what colors Pascal can change into." Vanellope points out why she would rather be with Rapunzel.

"Because Rapunzel is the person, we are going to be looking for. But you know Calhoun is fantastic, she'll take you horseback riding on Maximus, why he likes you more than me I will never get. Maybe you'll catch a couple movies, heck maybe she'll get Felix to fix up the Lickity Split. I promise it will only be a few days and I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for Rapunzel." Eugene informs Vanellope hoping that she can understand, she's is one of the smartest people he knows.

"You know, I am your daughter all the time, you can't abandon me when you get the chance." Vanellope comments

"Wow, that really hurts my feelings, was that something Helga said?" Eugene comments, knowing the animosity he gets from Vanellope's mother and knowing that's not something Vanellope normally would say.

"Dr. Fitzherbert, downstairs please." Finn announces over the PA again.

Trying to make this positive, "I know things haven't been easy. But we really started to work things out over the last few years."

"Yeah, but every once in awhile I want you to crack on me a bit, ground me, send me to bed without dinner, send me to my room, you know some of that stuff. They say he who spares the rod hates the child." Vanellope points out that of her parents, Eugene has be the one that never really disciplined her, not that she needed it, but still.

"I aged out in a Catholic orphanage, so watch your quotes, I might still have a few bruises from the rod on my back and I felt no love from anyone. But enough about me. Why would I do any of that, look at how you turned out. Top in your class, best racer among your friends, your courteous, kind, well-behaved, beautiful, brilliant, powerful, generous and funny. My queen, goddess, inspiration." Eugene points out.

"Dr. Fitzherbert." Finn is heard over the PA.

"I could come with you. I could be your research assistant, like I was in Austin." Vanellope offers.

"Vanellope dear, this is nothing like Austin. Anyway you have your own things. Your gymnastics competition. You've been training for months." Eugene tries to get Vanellope to focus on what she can do while he is gone.

Vanellope gives her father a scowl, "Gymnastics? I scrubbed out, Dad. I got cut from the team. Thanks for knowing." She says angry at how little her father seems to know about her.

"I'm sorry. I know how much that meant to you..." Eugene trails off, he really hasn't been there for his kids. That being said Kristoff had his step-father, siblings and the whole of the Bjorgman clan and Jack never really needed a father figure.

"You like to have kids. But you just don't want to be with them, do you?" Vanellope asks looking at the absence of her father in her childhood.

Knowing who Vanellope is really angry at, "I get you're angry. But I wasn't the one who dumped you here and split for Paris. So don't take it out on me!" Eugene says the last words a little too loudly and angry.

"Eugene Fitzherbert downstairs!" Finn shouts over the PA.

Looking at a startled Vanellope, and knowing that how he said they thing he said is the cause, "I'm sorry." Eugene says softly. As he heads down, "You want some parental advice from your old man. Sometimes, don't listen to me." He advises Vanellope before leaving. Unbeknownst to him Vanellope followed him back to ground level.

"What do we have here?" Eugene asks, arriving where Finn is and notices a platform of shorts.

"A High-Hide. You know, High-Hide. You go up high and hide. It goes up to where the trees are and keeps the researchers out of harm's way." Finn explains to Eugene, keeping it simple.

"From my experience, it will put them at a very convenient biting height. What's our time?" Eugene asks. He actually doesn't want to go, but he doesn't have much of a choice.

"We'll be leaving in three hours." Finn answers as he checks his watch.

There is a lot of chatter as Vanellope stows away in the research trailer, "This is so cool." She looks around and finds a map of the Pacific ocean. She remembers Eugene telling her about an island and finds it on the map, Isla Dreki, and to the left of it, south and west is a series of five islands the largest is titled 'Isla Santa'.

Hours later, a boat gets closer and closer to the shore of Isla Santa, with two Jeeps and a two compartment research trailer on it's deck. Eugene turns from looking at the island and looks at the equipment Finn has out. "This is a Lindstradt air rifle, fires a subsonic Fluger impact delivery dart."

"Does it work any better than your satellite phone?" Eugene asks.

"That's funny. I've loaded it with the enhanced venom of Conus Purpurascens, the South Sea Cone Shell. One of the most powerful naturally occurring neurotoxin in the world. Acts within two-thousandth of a second. Which is faster than the nerve-conduction velocity. So the animal's down before it even feels the prick of the dart." Finn says as he starts to assemble the air rifle.

"Is there an antidote?" Eugene asks watching Finn.

"What do you mean, like you shot yourself in the foot? Don't do that. You'd be dead before you even realized you had an accident." Finn says as finishing the assembly of the gun.

Spanish is heard as Ralph walks from the pilot house **[5]** towards Finn and Eugene. The Captain and his son not far behind Ralph. "He says he wants to unload at the shore right here. He won't go any further up the river. He's heard too many stories about this island chain and he wants to drop us off here and go anchor somewhere offshore."

"What kinds of stories?" Eugene asks, regretting it as soon as he finished asking.

"He's says there are stories of fishermen that came too close to the island and are never heard from again." Ralph pauses and he talks to the captain after they exchange Ralph turns back to Eugene and Finn. "He has a radio. He has a satellite phone. When you need him, call and he'll be here in two hours." Ralph informs.

"When we need him, we can't afford to wait two seconds." Eugene grips.

"But he will not stay here, he will not stay anywhere near these islands. They call this chain..." Ralph turns to the captain, "Las Cinco Muertes?" he asks. The captain nods. "The Five Deaths."

Finn is unphased by the terror on the captain's face, he takes a dart from collection of darts. "Tell him he was paid to go up the river to the spot we want to unload and he will anchor where we paid him to anchor." Finn says, and he pulls the son away from the father.

"We have a signed contract, we have paid him the money, the service has not been provided and no where in the agreement is there room for any unilateral changes. And if his concern is for his son, he should have left him back on the mainland. Now this needle has South Sea Cone Shell venom, he will honor his word or the boy dies. And just to make sure, we are taking him hostage." Finn says

After the captain goes back and forth with Ralph. "He'll do it." Ralph says. Finn holds on to the boy until everything is offloaded at the intended site.

After the unloading, he returns the boy to the father, "As a sign of good faith. But if you are not here in half and hour when we radio or call you, I kill you both." Afterwards, he rejoins the others on land.

"That was risky." Eugene points out.

"You actually think I am going to kill a little boy, I got a five year old niece that I am the legal guardian of, she's staying with cousins of my late-wife in San Fransokyo. Besides, it's been my experience, if you can't remove someone's fear of something, make them fear you more." Finn replies.

"Does it work on you?" Ralph asks.

Finn laughs at that suggestion, "I am Fearless Finn Hofferson, what do you think?" He bellows as he turns back to the equipment.

"Remind me to never get on his bad side." Ralph whispers to Eugene.

"You think we could have taken him back on the boat?" Eugene asks, Eugene knows that they couldn't that's why he didn't try anything on the boat but was not sure why Ralph didn't do anything.

Ralph looks at Eugene with alarmed at the notion, "He'd be scraping us off his left boot for the next six months and would have just left his right boot up the captain's ass, the boy would be dead and he wouldn't have broken a sweat." Ralph answers. Apparently Eugene and Ralph came to the same conclusion.

Finn gets the two's attention, "Alright gentlemen, as you know by now, we have one satellite phone, one radio, one air rifle with sea snail venom. Two Jeeps, a High-Hide and this research RV, for lack of a better term. Now everything we need for a week long expedition is in the RV. Save water, but we can boil and pasteurize from rivers and springs. Now you both been briefed on everything while we loaded the boat, so let's go to where we intend to set up camp, get the High-Hide in a good spot, and look for Rapunzel. Now it's worth noting we have only 36 darts. So please, don't be stupid. Now, I will drive the RV and each of you get a Jeep. Let's move out." Finn says and goes to start the research RV.

Turning to Ralph, "I have a bad feeling about this." Eugene says.

After almost an hour and a half of driving, they park not far from a cliff's edge. Finn gets the air rifle and gives it to Eugene, Ralph grabs some filming equipment and Finn also gets a GPS. After about fifteen minutes, "I put a location sensor in Dr. Corona's satellite phone. So we should be getting a reading." Finn says as he looks as the screen.

"I am so relieved." Eugene says sarcastic earning him a punch in the face causing him to fall over. Ralph helps Eugene back to his feet. Finn had not taken his eyes off the GPS.

"I told you to not push my buttons." Finn says calmly, in a 'I told you so' like way.

After getting back to observe the GPS's screen and checking to make sure his nose was not broken."We're almost on top of her dot. So she should be somewhere nearby." Eugene muses.

Looking ahead along the road, "There." Ralph points out and Eugene makes a made dash followed by Ralph and Finn to a backpack a rocky shore of a small stream. Eugene knows the bag from anywhere. He goes through it and finds Rapunzel's satellite phone.

"Rapunzel!" Eugene calls.

"Rapunzel" Ralph calls out a little louder.

"Rapunzel" Eugene calls again.

"Rapunzel Corona" Ralph shouts.

"Um Ralph, how many Rapunzel's do you think are on this island?" Eugene asks rhetorically. And he and Ralph again shout "Rapunzel." After that the three men hear something coming from the woods. As the look they are awestruck as a small wing of Gronckles amble slowly through the trees and cross the stream. Ralph is quick to record this. They hear one behind them and turn, Ralph continuing to take pictures.

"This is... magnificent." Ralph says, taking another photo. Finn is just stands there agape in awe.

"Oh yeah, the "ooh, ah," that's how it always starts, but later there is the running and the screaming and the dying." Eugene informs. Ralph then jumps onto a log to get a better shot, but it's not good enough so he quickly jumps onto another log. Unbeknownst to the three, Rapunzel is very close and she too was taking pictures of the passing wing of Gronckles.

She turns to her left and notices Ralph taking pictures on the log. She couldn't help but use the phrase that always vexes him, "Double Stripped!" Ralph loses his balance and falls into the stream. She cannot help but laugh.

"Cute, Rapunzel, you got the drop on me. I hate that phrase by the way." Ralph comments, picking himself back up.

"I know. It's good to see you again." She says as finishes her laugh. She looks beyond Ralph, "Hey Finn."

"Rapunzel." Finn nods as he greets the young woman.

Rapunzel then sees the one person she never believes would come here. She climbs over the log and runs to Eugene. She tackles and causes him to land on his back in the stream. "I thought you would never come in a million years." She then kisses Eugene. After the kiss is broken.

"I hope you saw the animals that just went by, they are a family group. A breeding pair with several sub-adults." The couple takes a few seconds to get back on their feet. "Long after the juveniles were nest bond. Every clutch I've seen has egg shells crushed, trampled. Clearly the hatchlings stay in the birth environment for a much longer time than everyone theorizes-"

"Save Dr. Haddock." Eugene points out. While paleontology is not his field of focus, after Isla Dreki the field become one of the things he elected to get up to speed on, it was also material for his book.

"Yes, save her. I can now put that controversy to rest if I can get photos of the nest." Rapunzel says a little winded.

Eugene hold up Rapunzel's backpack, "Have you been attacked?" he asks.

"Well, no and yes. I have not been attacked since I got here but when I was 15 I got a little too close to jaguar cub for his mother's comfort. That's why the pack is torn, but it's always been that way ever since. I am surprised you never noticed when I was taking your classes." Rapunzel informs innocently.

"Ok, Blondie-" Eugene starts.

However, Rapunzel had already turned her attention elsewhere, "Is that a Nikon, can I borrow that?" she asks. She heads away and accepts the camera from Ralph. "Be right back, Eugene. I promise."

Eugene takes a couple calming breaths and follows the stream and Rapunzel after a short bite he has her in his sights and she's in earshot, Ralph and Finn not far behind him."So when St. North called you-" he starts.

"He didn't. I was the one that called Grandpa Nick." Rapunzel corrects.

"Fair enough, by why didn't you tell me?" Eugene asks.

"You would've done everything you could to try to stop me from coming." Rapunzel points out.

"I would have tied you to the bed." Eugene retorts.

"Oww, a little kinky don't you think." Rapunzel teases.

"Not my point." Eugene says back unamused by flirtatiousness in Rapunzel's voice.

"I've figured out how the animals have survived without lysine supplements." Rapunzel explains.

"I really couldn't care less." Eugene says.

Ignoring Eugene's comment, Rapunzel begins her disposition.

"If you look at the diets of the herbivore species that are thriving, you know Gronckles, Rumblehorns, Snafflefangs, Windstrikers, Grapple Grounders Hotburples, Hobblegrunts, Thunderpedes, they eat a lot of lysine rich plants, you know agama, soy. And the carnivores that are the most successful, Night Furies, Scuttleclaws, Terrible Terrors, Great Deaths, Flightmares, Whispering Deaths, they eat those lysine enriched herbivores." Everyone is still a ways from her but they don't miss a word.

"Now there are some species that can't survive here, like the Snow Wraith, Wooly Howl, Groncicle, this if far too warm, they would cook in this environment and while the world itself is cooler than it was when they lived they can't survive in the equivalent environments because the 'winters' are now too long." As she continues her pseudo briefing. While she walks she actual kicks up the water a few times, clearly child-like. "Now Fireworms could survive here, but only the tiny males have survived fossilization and it's clear they have a bee hive like society, and without a queen they can't last long against other dragons." Everyone makes a mental note that Rapunzel sent the most time on the Fireworm as an individual species. "There are a few Monstrous Nightmares, Thunderclaws, Skrills, and Speed Stingers, they are be able to breed, but they won't be able to compete with the other carnivores, especially Night Furies for long," Rapunzel continues.

"The same is true for the other carnivores for the most part. Give it like 6 to 8 years and odds are Terrible Terrors will be the only carnivores beside Night Furies on the island, even if a Screaming Death hatches." Rapunzel concludes. While Eugene haven't experienced the Night Furies of Isla Dreki first hand, he can just tell that Rapunzel is correct.

Changing to the other known species of dragons that are not present on the island, "As for Thornridges, Hackatoos, Raincutters, Shiverteeth and Razorwhips, the plants they fed on have no modern equivalent on the island and they need more of the lysine rich plants than the thriving herbivores and thus couldn't compete and are not present anymore. As for the Mysterium genus dragons," Rapunzel stops, she's part of the new school of thought in paleontology concerning the genus names of dragons, but many people outside of the field are a little dated in the classification of dragons **[6]**. "Sorry you're use to 'Timore' as the genus name, but back to my point, none were bred and the same for the Aetus genus." Rapunzel finishes elaborating.

"You seemed to missed a few dragons like the Typhoomerangs, Timberjacks, Stormcutters, Deadly Nadders and Night Terrors." Eugene points out, remembering the other species of dragons.

"If you recall the genes for the Timberjacks' wing membrane did not survive and since they have no other limb aside from the wings as such you really cannot bred them. Typhoomerangs grow and mature very fast in comparison to other dragons, they are adults in less than a year so they are not safe to breed, even without their hydrogen gas sacks and wing membrane. Now Stormcutters are the only dragons I know that all their genes survived, every last one, so it is too much of an insurance issue to attempt to breed them. I haven't found any evidence of Deadly Nadders or Night Terrors, but I've stuck mostly to the exterior of the island, so I really don't know." Rapunzel carries on. Suddenly she stops and so do the three men. "Stay there be quiet." she orders in just above a whisper and bolts quietly forward.

"Rapunzel, Blondie, No. No!" Eugene says but Rapunzel still continues forward to a small group of Gronckles. Eugene and the others watch as Rapunzel gets close to the group.

Once there she sees that she found a nest with hatchlings still in it. She starts taking a few pictures. She then holds her hand out and touches the head of one of the Gronckles.

Watching from their vantage points, "She's always like this. Why is she like this. She just has to touch. She can't not touch, why does she always have to touch?" Eugene asks himself apparently as Finn and Ralph are engrossed with the sight. But Ralph is able to get enough of his wits to take out a recorder and films the scene.

"Is this even possible?" Finn asks in awe.

"This? What did you guys think you'd document?" Eugene asks the two.

"Not really sure. Maybe super sized winged lizards?" Ralph answers. Eugene can only roll his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose.

Back at the nest Rapunzel is done petting the hatchlings and takes another photo, only to find out she's out of film as the camera starts the process of rewinding. The sound startles the Gronckles and they start calling out for their mother. Rapunzel freezes.

"Blondie! Get back here!" Eugene commands or at least attempts to. At the moment several of the older Gronckles come charging at the nest.

Turning to Finn and not seeing him aiming the air rifle, "Shot them!" Eugene orders and is about to run in, but Ralph is able to get a hold of him.

"They're only trying to protect their babies." Finn comments as he levels the rifle.

"So am I!" Eugene shouts as he tries to get out of Ralph's hold, to no avail.

Rapunzel bobs and weaves her way into the brush and avoids most of the Gronckles. One Gronckle almost corners her. But she dives into the log and crawls out the other end. After one swing of the angry Gronckle's club like tail it backs off, satisfied that Rapunzel is now away from the hatchlings. Rapunzel looks back and gives a sigh of relief. As does Eugene at his vantage point.

After the encounter as the four start their way back to the base-camp, Finn is holding the air rifle in silent admiration and is just giddy as a school boy.

"These images are incredible, legendary. I cannot count the number of guys that shoot their whole lives and never get anything half as good." Ralph is hyper at the photos he just taken back in the stream. "I mean, just give me the Pulitzer in photography this year right now. Today, please. Because let's face it, the competition is over, so let's close the entries." And after pulling out a cigarette, "I'd like to thank Nicholas St. North for the chance to photo-document these amazing animals and everyone who lost for being good sports." He puts it to his mouth is about to light it.

"Don't light that!" Rapunzel orders. "Smoking is one of major causes of numerous types of cancers and dragons can pick up scents from miles away. We're here to observe and document, not interact." Rapunzel continues.

"Which by the definitions of the terms 'observe and document' and the phrase 'not interact' is a scientific impossibility, any anthropologist or sociologist worth their salt can tell you that on the first day of class. There's also the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and the fact that a lot of what you've studied has also changed, in no small part thanks to you. Also you just couldn't stop yourself from going into that Gronckle's nest back there." Eugene points out.

"Well I am going to chance it. I am tired of either rolling around in the dirt, scratching at rock and try to make assumptions, deductions, inductions and conductions about the nurturing habits of animals that have extinct for at least 65 million years. I just sick of it."

"Well I hate to break it to you, but they used frog DNA to fill-in the gaps in the genes of the animals you are observing, that can have drastic changes on the habits of these animals in comparison to real dragons." Eugene points out.

"Then you come along and fill my heads with stories for six years. So yeah if I get the chance to come here, I am taking it. Well took it." Rapunzel ignores Eugene's point.

"Which you conveniently forget is a morality tale about greed, ignorance and arrogance. I spent a lot of time talking about the running and the screaming and the maiming and the dying and you just brush it to side like loose sand. Weren't you paying any attention?"

"Please, stop treating me like I'm one of your grad students." Rapunzel retorts a little annoyed at how Eugene is treating her.

"Then stop making high-school senior mistakes."

"I've been around 'wild' carnivores since I was 7 years old; cobras, pythons, alligators, crocodiles, lynxes, wolves, coyotes, leopards, jackals, cheetahs, hyenas, lions, tigers, bears..." Rapunzel gives a short lists of the animals she's interacted with.

"Oh my."

Farther ahead of the bickering couple, Ralph passes Finn and then sees something and bolts towards the base camp. "Seriously, Ralph, where's the fire?" Finn jokes.

Meanwhile back with Eugene and Rapunzel, "I am trying to change over a century of entrenched and inaccurate dogma. Dragons, early on, were written off as apathetic monsters. There's a great deal of resistance to the notion of them being parents."

"And your motivations to prove that they were nurturing parents don't stem from the fact that you were practically raised by an emotionally distant and abusive cousin."

"And you're perfectly functional with aging out of an orphanage?" Rapunzel counters. Eugene shrugs it off, he maybe the less truly functional of the pair but unlike Rapunzel he harbors no illusions that this is a functioning world. Rapunzel continues, "Zuberi Mufasa argues that the Great Death was a rogue, that would either abandoned it's young at the earliest possibility or dump the eggs of in another dragon's clutch like a magpie. I know I can prove otherwise here."

"No. What you'd prove is that a genetically re-created Great Death made with frog DNA is a nurturing parent or not. Neither you nor Dr. Mufasa can prove either of your hypothesis because there are no Great Deaths to observe, but given the evidence I have to agree with Dr. Mufasa on this."

"You can't tell me that the frog DNA changed these creatures that much with any certainty." Rapunzel counters. "The Chaos Theory, while points out the even the smallest thing can have very large changes in the outcomes, also points out that a big thing can also have no affect whatsoever."

"True, but you know better than most people that Tions and Ligers behave like neither lions nor tigers, and they are all in the same genus. I haven't even touched cabbits." Eugene points out, citing Rapunzel's field of experience.

"FIRE! DR. FITZHERBERT, FIRE AT BASE CAMP!" Finn's voice is heard and Eugene and Rapunzel book it, once the three arrive, they see Ralph is already getting water to put the fire out.

Rapunzel closes the distance and starts to kick dirt onto the fire. "No! Water makes the smoke billow. Use dirt." Ralph doses the fire with the water, anyway.

While Rapunzel and Ralph have their debate of how to put out the fire, "Who started the fire?" Eugene muses aloud and coming out of the trailer is Vanellope with a frying pan.

"I just wanted to make dinner. I was trying to have it ready for when you got back." Vanellope says a little sheepishly as she tries to smile. Eugene only gives a throaty growl.

A few minutes later, "Say Ralph, are you sure they're related as father-daughter? Because I see this much family resemblance." Finn asks as he holds out one of his hands with an inch or two of space between the thumb and index finger.

"She gets it mostly from her mother, but a lot of what don't see physically she gets from him." Ralph comments. Finn nods accepting the answer. The two are watching the scene between Vanellope and Eugene play out.

Vanellope is lying on the hood of a Jeep while Eugene is trying to make a call with the satellite phone. "You practically told me to come here, dad." Vanellope says.

"I... I...What?" Eugene asks confused.

"You said 'Don't listen to me'. I thought you were trying to tell me something."

"I was, but this is not was it was. But Van, you knew exactly what I meant. You have no idea-"

"You want to lock her up her curiosity? Where do you think she gets it from?" Rapunzel asks as she goes over to the Jeep with the High-Hide, Ralph and Finn.

"Thank you, Rapunzel." Vanellope says sincerely.

"Blondie, are you her mother?" Eugene asks.

"No." Rapunzel answers.

"Are you my wife?"

"No."

"Then you have no say in the matter. Now for once stay out of this. Oh Calhoun is going to be scraping me off her right boot for a year thanks to this," Eugene says, the part of Calhoun sends a shiver up and down both his and Ralph's spines. Eugene turns his attention to Finn. "Finn?"

"What is it this time?" Finn asks.

"Why in the hell doesn't this thing ever work?"

"You know it's not a LANDline. You're not in a phone booth. It's similar to a cell phone, you have to wait for a sufficient signal to make a call." Finn says. Eugene bangs the phone on the hood of the Jeep. "I thought you learned this by now, but Technology and Violence, never the best of bedfellows."

"Now the documentation St. North wants requires us to put the equipment as close to animals as safely as possible." As Rapunzel speaks Eugene gives up on the satellite phone and after getting Vanellope off the Jeep walks over to where the others are.

"Yeah while you're at it, smear some lambs blood on you. It worked perfectly well in Exodus." Eugene comments sardonically. "Finn, is there any reason to think that the radio in the trailer would work? Now please don't tease me."

"Maybe, but that's assuming you feel qualified at all to flick the on-switch to 'on'." Finn retorts in equal sadonism.

Eugene shakes his head. "Okay, I am taking my daughter out of here. Anyone coming with me, this is your last chance to get out." he says trying to convince the others they have to get off the island.

"Now listen, when you're out in the field nothing we can do can leave a trace." Rapunzel briefs Ralph and Finn.

"That's impossible, Rapunzel and you know that. Now Ralph, if you're staying I'll be happy to deliver a letter to Felix and anyone else so you can say 'goodbye'. Finn, think about your niece, if you have any personal effects of any kind you want her to have. It's the least I can do. I will be in the trailer, guys." Eugene drowns out Rapunzel's briefing as he takes Vanellope by the wrist and heads to the trailer.

"Our presence here needs to be 100% antiseptic. If we so much as bend a blade of grass-" Rapunzel says as she follows Eugene to the trailer. Eugene shuts the door of the trailer at the word 'grass'.

"Dad, I know you're mad." Vanellope says.

"You mean 'angry'. The word 'mad' actually means 'insane' not 'irate'. And I am not angry, I am furious!" As he looks around and sees the mess in the trailer. "I am not going to ask, just clean it up." He turns to the radio in the trailer. "What is this, there's like a millennium **[7]** of switches!"

Entering the trailer, "Eugene, don't be angry. I was going to call to let you know where I was when Ralph and Finn were scheduled to arrive. You know I call you, don't I? Also I thought you and the band were still on tour." Rapunzel comments about their communication.

"You'd know we're taking a short break to prepare for the final show which is in San Fransokyo, if you picked up the phone a week ago." Eugene counters siting the two's communication as well.

"I thought you liked your independence." Rapunzel comments looking back on how she and Eugene are often apart.

"I've gotten used to us being apart, yes, but that's not how I want to live anymore." Before he continues this line of discussion. "Vanellope, this is...um tall talk. Would you give Rapunzel and I a minute?" Eugene orders.

"This is worse than the height restriction at an amusement park." Vanellope mutters.

"You know if you want to rescue me from something, why didn't you bail me out of that fundraiser three weeks ago?" Rapunzel asks, Rapunzel hates being the spotlight and while her presence at the Corona Museum of Life is a great way for it to solicit donors for contributions and endowments, she feels like the don't take her truly seriously.

"It was my two hours behind the wheel of the bus, there was a pile up ahead of us and we just left the greater Berk, MT area. If you picked up the phone you would have known that, also a very different situation and I told you there was a good chance I wouldn't make it. And for the record you know I never committed to it." Eugene points out, trying to explain why he was not there while reminding her he never explicitly stated he was going to be there.

"Or that dinner with my parents that you never showed up." Rapunzel sites, a little miffed that Eugene was not there for that diner.

"Again if you picked up the phone you'd know I was at the hospital because Jack had to stay overnight there. Your father was very understanding, 'your children's needs outweigh the wants of your significant other' he said. And again I said, 'I will make the attempt, but I may not make it.'" Eugene points out.

"Why not rescue me, when I really need it?" Rapunzel points out that for her when she feels she needs rescue are the small things.

Vanellope has to agree with Rapunzel and starts, "You know, Rapunzel has a pretty good-"

"I already have my two kids with your brothers and I am a sperm donor to boot, I can afford to lose the third." Eugene cuts Vanellope off with a bit of a glare, the inference Vanellope is to make is that Eugene is pissed off enough to kill her. "Outside, near the door. Now!" he orders and Vanellope goes towards the door. Eugene actually wouldn't cause his little girl any harm but he's fed up with his girlfriend siding with his children and vice versa when he has an argument with either.

"Eugene, don't be like this. I love that you rode in here on a white horse." Rapunzel says trying to get Eugene to direct his anger back to where it should be.

"Funny, you know Maximus hates me." Eugene comments at Rapunzel's chosen metaphor.

"It's dramatic, touching. I just need you to show up in a cab every once in awhile, too." Rapunzel says as she hugs her boyfriend.

Eugene always calms down when he gets a hug from Rapunzel and his concerns changes to Vanellope. "Wait, a minute don't go outside, it's dangerous out there. Stay in here, come back." Eugene says to Vanellope and she turns around from the door.

"I know what I am doing. You should definitely go back Eugene. I love you, but right now I don't need you."

"I'll tell you what you need is a good anti-psychotic or at least a good... I don't feel comfortable finishing this sentence with Vanellope here." Eugene counters.

"Eugene, you're not being reasonable. I'll be back in five to six days." Rapunzel points out.

"No, you'll be back in five to six pieces." Eugene counters.

"What bothers you is that I'm not afraid of this place and you are." Rapunzel pretty much calls Eugene's fear out.

Eugene is not phased by this, he has been hoping that someone would realize that he is afraid of this place and no-one seems to get that they should be. "Yeah, of course I am with what I experienced on Isla Dreki and know happened there. That's the whole thing. You know all I want-" Eugene is cut mid sentence.

"What's that sound?" Vanellope asks as they hear a faint hum. Eugene knows what that hum is, the distance rotating of helicopter blades of fleet of helicopters of various types. The three exit the trailer and see helicopter after helicopter heading towards the island. Eugene is tempted to seek if he can use them for a ride back but something is off. He turns to see Finn and Ralph are looking at the copters with binoculars.

"They say 'InGen' on the sides of those copters!" Finn points out. "I don't get it, why would St. North send two teams?" Finn asks after looking through his binoculars at the flight of helicopters as they approach the island.

"I thought my grandfather trusted us, we haven't even started." Rapunzel points out as Eugene rushes to Finn's side and takes the binoculars. He looks and sees the InGen logos on them. There's only one person with the authority in InGen to authorize this; Gothel.

"Because he didn't send them." Eugene answers as he lowers the binoculars, "Gothel has come to town."

Author's Notes:

Cast Update: Vanellope Von Schweetz fills in for Kelly Malcolm, the mentioned character Zuberi Mufasa is a humanized version of Mufasa from The Lion King and will fill in the role of Robert Burke, a 'rival' paleontological behaviorist, it's worth noting that he agrees with much of Rapunzel's theorize but his only real disagreement is over the Great Deaths

Now there are few liberties taken with Finn, now I don't condone the threatening of a child's life, I am having him pay homage to his Viking heritage, they were violent people, some were so violent that they mocked another Viking for not impaling children on his spear calling him 'Child-lover'... yep very violent people… And yes I do believe he could take Eugene, Ralph and the captain with no problem.

Dragon Update: Gronckles fill in the role of Stegosaurus, all other dragons mentioned that haven't made an appearance yet in either Draconic Park or Draconic World are listed here mostly to convey that InGen tested many species here to see what they could use on Isla Dreki, and a few of these species were actually on Isla Dreki but weren't seen, a few may make an appearance in Draconic World and/or Draconic Park III, but a couple may be introduced here and may not be filling in for any particular species

 **[1]** All these places had genocide occur in the 1980s and 1990s

 **[2]** SNES or Super Nintendo was dated even when the movie came out, this is meant to show how behind the times in gaming Calhoun is or how Vanellope perceives her

 **[3]** Troglodyte means cave-dweller and it's often used to say that a person is unsophisticated and backwards

 **[4]** This is what Vanellope and her friends call themselves, in this Vanellope is not ostracized, in this story the relationship would be closer to the original programing of the game from Wreck-It-Ralph

 **[5]** On certain ships there is a house like structure to the stern where the captain steers it, this is called a pilot house, because it looks not unlike a house and the captain pilots the vessel from there

 **[6]** While Mysterium is in the story time-line now recognized as the more accurate name for the Timore genus within the field, Flightmares are still counted as members of the Laedo genus

 **[7]** While a millennium is often used to measure years, any time you have a thousand of something you have a millennium of them 


	3. To Collect My Fee

**Chapter 3: To Collect My Fee**

After an hour following the departure of the last helicopter, Gothel's harvesting team starts. There are multiple Jeeps, several designed to have the front passenger seat be sent out, along with other vehicles meant to carry open to cages to put the dragons in. In one jeep as it passes through an open space, with mostly grass and small bushes, Gothel speaks into her radio.

"This is as good a place as any for base camp. That's first priority after we're finished with this scheduled withdrawal. I want it up and running in 30 minutes. That's half an hour." Gothel is in the back of the jeep and had traded her suit for something universes more particle in this environment. "Understood? Over."

"Belay that order," Clayton says as he turns from the front to discuss with Gothel.

"What? Why?" Gothel asks.

"This is a game trail, Ms. Gothel. Carnivores hunt a long game trails because they know that's the route their prey take to water and food. Now do you want set up a base camp or a buffet?" Clayton asks trying to make a point.

"Um..." Gothel starts trying to answer.

"That was rhetorical."

Gothel gets the message and turns back to the radio. "Let's find a new spot that our experts would approve shall we? Over and out."

"Now Meter, if you want me to run this camping trip there are two conditions I want to make inescapably clear. Firstly, I'm in charge, everyone does exactly what I say, how I say it, when I say it. And when I am not around Shere Khan is in command and if neither of us are present, then command falls onto Gaston. All you need to do is sign the checks, tell us we are doing a good job and open up a case of Scotch when we have a good day. Secondly, my fee. You can keep your money, all I want in exchange for my service is the right to hunt one of the Great Deaths, a male, a Green Death only. How, Why and all other questions unasked because that is my business and mine alone. Now if you don't like either of those conditions, you're on your own. So good ahead, set up base camp here, or in a swamp or in the middle of a Great Death's nest for all I care. But I have been on too many safaris with rich dentists **[1]** to listen to many more suicidal ideas. Okay?" Clayton asks.

"Okay." Gothel agrees to Clayton's terms. They weren't unreasonable and it saves a fair amount of money. Sure it would cost the life of a Great Death, but if Gothel ran the program from the beginning, Great Deaths wouldn't have been bred in the first place, too much of an insurance issue as the attempt on Isla Dreki proved.

Looking at the printout of dragons, Gothel's 'shopping list' and the various species of dragons around them, Clayton starts the hunt. "Cycles, break off a stray from herd and flush him to the right. Snagger stay ready. They're bringing him to you. It'll be a Snaf...Snaf... oh hell, the fat heads with the bald spot and morning star tail... Friar Tuck." Clayton orders as a couple of cyclists break from the main party to drive a Snafflefang away from the rest of the flight.

Other species of dragons are present in the flight, Grapple Grounders, Rumblehorns, Hotburples, Hobblegrunts, Gronckles, and Thunderpedes. They are all running away from the harvesters, while the better part of them will escape the team is there to capture a small number of dragons. Gothel has no intentions on biting off more than she can chew.

Not even 30 seconds after Clayton's order is given, the Snafflefang is cornered for the most part. One of the Jeeps pulls to the side from the hunt and stops a man steps out, he clearly of African descent, but the length and thickness of his hair and beard gives him a regal lion like appearance.

He is Dr. Zuberi Mufasa and like Rapunzel, he is a part of the new field of paleontological behavioral study. His own studies have been changing the current understanding of dragons. For the most part the two agree on the behavior of most dragons, with the major exception being the Great Deaths. Unlike Foreverwings, Bewilderbeasts, and the Screaming Death subspecies of the Whispering Deaths, Great Deaths fossil remains point to the parents either abandoning the young at an early age or, as Dr. Mufasa had theorized, Great Deaths are brood parasites. Not unlike magpies, the Great Deaths would leave one of their eggs in the nest or clutch of other dragons and because of their size and such, the forced adopted parents would take care of these dragons over their own.

In fact, some recent finds of several other species of dragon nests from the late Cretaceous show that to be the case. Granted Screaming Death young appear in Whispering Death nest, but tests have proven that Screaming Deaths can be born from Whispering Deaths. "Terra olfaciodens, aka, Snafflefang." Mufasa says as he looks on at the dragon in question.

"Carnivore?" The other man in the jeep asks.

"No, herbivore from the late Cretaceous, evolved from the Gronckle not unlike the Hotburple and Groncicle."

As they watch the attempt to capture this abnormally active member of the Terra genus, Mufasa begins explaining the dragon features, "See that skull, that top part is almost nine inches of solid bone. Also the neck, unlike most other dragons, actually attaches to skull at the bottom not at the back. So when it lowers its head, its neck and backbone line up directly. Which in this case is perfect for absorbing impact." The Snafflefang then rams into another Jeep and is able to get out of the circle of humans. But it's dizzy, it's skull was not designed to slam into metal.

Watching the Snafflefang stagger away, "Snagger, Friar Tuck's on the loose, just about to cross your path." Clayton informs. Coming up behind the Snafflefang, the crew of one of the vehicles designed with an open top cage. Also are two padded arms that are meant to trap an animal and left it into the cage. In a little over thirty seconds the 'Snagger' team manages to capture the Snafflefang and put it into the cage. The animal however was tranquilized to make sure the capture was a success.

Watching from the side of one of the hills, Eugene and company witness Gothel's extraction attempt. As much as Eugene doesn't want to admit, Gothel's team is highly efficient.

Back in the hunt "Gaston, get in the outrigger. You're closing in on a wind...wind..." Clayton orders, preparing to acquire another dragon. His command doesn't come through due to his jeep going over rough terrain.

"Say that again, Clayton, A what?" Gaston asks from inside his Jeep. Like Shere Khan and Clayton, Gaston Le Veneur is a skilled hunter. Granted the other two lead hunters have at least a decade more of experience on him, Gaston never bothered with trophy-hunting, sure he used the antler from every buck he killed in his decorations and mounted heads on his wall, but these were bonuses, most of his hunting was for a functional purposes, such as population control, fur trading, food for his local village, etc. In short Gaston is more of a particle hunter than his seniors. That being said, hunting dragons can't hurt his chances with the ladies back home.

"The one with the big white horn... the pompadour... ELVIS!" Clayton shout, making the order clear and simple.

"Copy that. Take me out, Le Fou." Gaston orders his driver and he is sent out to fire a tranquilizing dart into the Windstriker that his group has nearing. He aims and fires, hitting his target. "Okay bring me in." Gaston orders and is taken back into the vehicle proper. Shorty the Windstriker stops a decent size crew gets ready to bring the animal down.

"Easy, easy. Not too close." Gaston orders as some grab staffs with lassos and try to get it around the neck. "Go for the legs! The legs! Watch the tail!" Gaston orders as the men scatter to bring the animal to the ground.

After about 30 seconds of distracting the dragon, the better part of the crew that went after the Windstriker pull the ropes causing the animal to fall forward. It roars in pain, but there is nothing that it can do as the tranquilizer starts to take full effect.

From their vantage point, Eugene et all witness this event as well and similar tactics to it and the first one used on a Rumblehorn, Gronckle, Hotburple, Hobblegrunt and Thunderpede. Gothel is clearly not going to attempt to capture carnivores this trip if she can help it and has elected to not waste the time on the larger herbivore species.

Back on the plains, Shere Khan and Clayton come across a large puddle, the footprint of a large carnivorous dragon. "Mufasa!" Clayton calls. The expedition's paleontologist consultant comes fairly quickly and sees the track. "Do you recognize this trackway?" Clayton asks.

"It's a Great Death, most likely a Red Death. Since they tend to be larger than the Green Deaths. They tend to travel farther from their nests assuming they share the nest, in which case the Green Death's livelihood would be much like a clownfish, tending to the eggs and hatchlings to stay within the comparative safety of the more concentrated part of an anemone. However as Dr. Corona would argue, not even a Red Death would go too far from the nest if there is a hatchling in it. I would say, assuming this is a Red Death's tract, the nest is about 10 to 12 miles from here, she would say closer to 5."

"And if a Green Death's the nest is much closer. Thank you. Shere, shall we?" Clayton asks and heads over to the Jeep he was in and assembles his gun.

"Clayton, where do you think you are going? We're still collecting." Gothel asks.

"To collect my fee, Ms. Gothel, to collect my fee." Clayton answers as he and Shere Khan practically vanish into the bush.

Gaston is taking a water break as he sees a Terrible Terror at his feet as it chips at him. As he takes out a portable shocking wand. Mufasa runs over. "Ignis horribilispavor, better known as the Terrible Terror, or Terrors for short, found in Bavaria in 1913" Mufasa informs.

"Is it dangerous?"

"That's still being debated, but most in the field presume Terrors to be scavengers, not unlike jackals. However, it's highly possible their like red bellied piranha with arapaima in the river **[2]** , they will hunt using great numbers." Mufasa continues.

"It gives me the creeps. It's like it's not scared." Gaston comments.

"Well odds are we are the first humans most of these dragons have ever seen. So this one would have no reason to fear Man. Be confused about us, most certainly, but not inherently fear us." Mufasa counters.

Gaston zaps the Terror causing it to leap into the air and skerries away. "Now it does," Gaston says nonchalantly. Mufasa shakes his head in disgust and leaves.

Following the direction of the Great Death track hours later, Clayton and Shere Khan stumble upon the nest. Part of their delay was to approach unnoticed while making sure they had escape routes and know the way back to the main ground. The area is swarming with flies that eat the rotting carcasses of several different species of dragons. The two go farther in and see a slight ledge. Something adult Great Deaths could easily traverse, but not an infant and would be extremely difficult for most other dragons to climb down to attack the hatchling. "It's the Death's nest." Clayton says as they look down at the infant as it eats, obvious to their arrival. "It's probably only a couple weeks old. Never left the nest."

"Offspring that young, assuming Dr. Corona's right, the parents won't leave it alone for too long." Shere Khan says as the two look over their shoulders. "Normally I would suggest to make you blind here and wait for the Green to return but with the nasal structure the infant has..." Shere Khan points out and stops, the two are discussing the situation taking turns at addressing observations made.

"True, especially if this nest is upwind. Then so are we." Clayton continues

"Thus when the Green comes back, he's going to know we're here without us even having a chance." Shere Khan carries on.

"We need to get him to come to where we want him to. The trick is how. How do you feel about forcing the parental hand?" Clayton asks. Shere Khan only chuckles in agreement.

An hour later as the sun has set, the infant Great Death cries out in pain and fear. "MOM!" "DAD!" "MOM!" "DAD!" One of its rear legs having been broken, it lies on the ground no longer able support itself on the others. In spite of it's pain, it remembers that it wasn't the two male two-legs that causes it current condition. It was the female with long hair.

The little fella had no idea what she said to the two males before she took a heavy stick and whacked his leg with all her might, but the two males weren't happy about it, but she seemed to be the one calling the shots. The infant also remembers being tied to a strange thin tree with a wired vine. It couldn't fight, and now it can't fly. "MOM!" "DAD!" it continues to cry.

In a tree overlooking the infant Great Death, Clayton and Shere Khan wait. "In case the Red comes first or with the Green, I brought this." Shere Khan says as he shows his air rifle.

"Excellent call, now to remain silent." Clayton says and they go silent, Clayton is still irate about Gothel breaking the infant's leg, now the youngster will surely die, this was not the plan.

Over the ridge behind the two hunter's site is the base camp. It's pretty much in order, there is some music being played, not to calm the caged animals. No, most of the crew is singing the praises of Gaston. For while Clayton and Shere Khan went off to trophy hunt. Gaston not only got base camp to exceed Gothel's expectations in 25 minutes, he also captured a few more dragons, a Speed Stinger, a Scuttleclaw, two Terrible Terrors, a Thunderclaw, a Monstrous Nightmare and most impressive of all, a Skrill. Sure they were not on Gothel's shopping list this time, but they had more than enough cages for the addition and it reduces the cost per dragon. Another part of the camp was setting up for Gothel's chat with the limited partners she is soliciting to help off-set the costs of this expedition and get her plans on it's feet.

Watching from a hill on the other side of the camp are Eugene and company. Everything finally sinks in for Eugene, "So this is why Nick was in such a hurry to get you guys here." He is of course referring to Finn, Ralph and Rapunzel. "He knew they were coming."

"Odin's ghost, they are well-organized." Finn comments looking at the extraction team's equipment from their vantage point. "Those toys are the major league."

"Yeah, maybe I should ask to use their phone. Their dish is so much bigger than ours." Eugene comments earning him a punch into his back.

"Don't blame me for your lack of patience and for your user-errors." Finn growls unamused.

"So they actually want to build another park here? After what you said happened with those monsters on the other island?" Vanellope asks.

"First, they're not building anything. They're taking these animals out of here and back to the mainland. Second, I never out and out said the dragons on Isla Dreki were monsters. What I wrote was 'While the creatures InGen made for Draconic Park can be considered 'monsters', we have to remember that the term 'monster' is relative. To you and I, a cat's a pet, ask a canary and that's a different kettle of fish.' I also wrote later on in the chapter, 'For most of my life, I considered myself to be biggest boldest baddest tomcat around, after returning to the Costa Rican mainland from Draconic Park, I realized how much more in common I have with a canary.'" Eugene says.

"So to paraphrase, 'monster's a relative term, to a canary a cat is a monster and we humans are just use to being the cat.'" Rapunzel summing up for Vanellope what Eugene said.

"Oh..." Vanellope says getting it.

"Well if you're done, Socrates and Plato, I probably should have told you all this before. St. North told me these people might show up. Which is the reason he hired me. Now he thought we'd be finished and have our finding being published by the time this started." Ralph gestured to Gothel's extraction team base camp when he said 'this.' "But just in case that didn't happen, he had a backup plan." Ralph then takes out pair of bolt cutters.

"What back... You're gonna Wreck it aren't you! SWEET! Dad, dad, dad, dad, can I stay and watch 'Knuckles' break stuff?" Vanellope asks almost too loud.

"I am taking you to the trailer and I suggest we all go back, but you're all going to do what you want. Just don't get yourselves killed if you can," Eugene says, lifting Vanellope and putting her over his shoulder.

"Come on, this is so exciting. I think I am going to vorp. You know like vomit and burp and you can taste it." Vanellope says in objection. "Why can't I stay?"

"Because with how my luck has been going if you do, you'll be trampled to death and I will never hear the end of it from Helga."

"Killjoy. And you're the fun-parent too." Vanellope pouts as her father carries her back to their camp.

"I am going to finish setting up the High-Hide." Finn says and also starts to depart.

"Are you scared? I thought you we're fearless." Ralph asks.

"I am fearless, however I am not stupid." Finn counters.

"You need some aloe vera there, Ralph?" Vanellope's voice is heard asking sarcastic. Rapunzel chuckles a little.

In the camp next to the satellite array, "Simply put, InGen is seeking limited partners to defray some of our expenses. The prospectus you've been given by the board lists the details. Among them is our projected hardware and construction expenses, factoring a 7% rate of inflation **[3]** , and as you can see by my two friends here," Gothel points to the two Terrible Terrors in their significantly smaller cages. "with me tonight, the software is already fully developed. You might say, we'll be up and running. In a moment, I'll take you on a stroll through the camp and you'll see some of our larger, more impressive specimens." Gothel continues her pitch.

Elsewhere in the camp, Ralph and Rapunzel starts to free the caged dragons. They keep as quiet as possible, letting the noises the dragons make hide their presence.

"You don't bring people halfway around the world to visit a zoo, you bring the zoo to them. San Fransokyo is the perfect setting. While it strives to demonstrate itself as the Global City of Tomorrow, let's be honest what keeps tourists coming is not the leaps and bounds in technologies shown in the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology showcases. People have for decades afflicted the beautiful city with animal attractions. The San Fransokyo Zoo & Red Bridge Aquarium, the San Fransokyo Kaiju, all of which are own by InGen, at present." Gothel pauses for dramatic effect.

Ralph and Rapunzel continue to set free dragons. Not only are there adults, but Gothel's team also captured infants.

Back at the tent where Gothel is pitching, "Mr. St. North knew this." Gothel has shown a painting of the original plan for Draconic Park, an amphitheater like structure where people would watch dragons like a football game. "Even before he ever dreamt of an island, he began construction on an amphitheater, very near to where you're sitting now, the InGen Water Complex, not even a fifteen minute train ride from the Red Bridge Aquarium."

Gothel walks to a model of the amphitheater as it is. "The original plan my uncle conceived was to show a select number of dragons as the regular shows; Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares, Hideous Zipplebacks, Deadly Nadders, Terrible Terrors and Night Furies being the cash cows. These and other dragons would be on scheduled rotating exhibitions with seasonal subspecies on display each year and selected showings of the legendary species. But just as the construction was only a day away from completing, he abandoned it, in favor of something far grander and ultimately... impossible. And so the facility sits, while finished and maintained, unused when Draconic Park San Fransokyo could be brought up to code and ready to receive visitors in less than a month."

Gothel pauses and just then an angry Rumblehorn comes charging through the site. In less than twenty seconds, chaos ensues as all the caged dragons start running amuck in the camp.

Gaston looks on at this. "Clayton is not going to be happy," his only friend, Le Fou says watching on with Gaston.

"Find out how the dragons got loose." He orders.

"On it, boss." Le Fou says and starts his search.

"You there, put that fire out, and you..." Gaston starts ordering the men in an attempt to salvage the camp.

At the tree Shere Khan and Clayton are using as their vantage point, they hear the explosions, turning to see a Jeep on fire flying right at them and they both bail out of the tree. It's not the ideal way to get down, but it was the better method available as the Jeep slams right into the tree. The two then head back to the base camp, there is something they need to attend to. As they leave, Ralph had made it to the injured Great Death. He cuts it free and prepares to get it out of there.

Back at the camp, Clayton looks around and then to Gaston, he notes that things are starting to get a little better. No doubt due to Gaston's command, but the issue of why and how the chaos started needs resolving. "You have one hour to prove you're not at fault, or that was the last time I leave you in charge," Clayton says plainly and goes to assess the damage himself with Shere Khan not far behind him.

"Le Fou, you've better found something," Gaston says, mostly to himself.

Away from the camp, but not far from where Rapunzel and Ralph left the others to free the dragons, Ralph reunites with Rapunzel. He is carrying the injured Great Death. Upon hearing the cries Rapunzel turns to see Ralph coming from the river with the Great Death in his arms. "Terror of Demons stand by me! Are you out of your mind? Do you know what that is?" Rapunzel asks.

"Yes and its got a broken leg, Doc. Let's it get into the car before they hear it." Ralph says as he gets out of the river carrying the infant Great Death.

Rapunzel rushes to open the door to the back of the Jeep, it's not in her nature to leave an injured animal hurt. Ralph puts the baby in and they two go to the front. "Eugene is not going to be happy about this," She mutters.

Back in the extraction team's camp Le Fou and Gaston rejoin Clayton and Shere Khan. "I found this," Le Fou says as he hands to Clayton a cut lock. "What is it?" Gothel asks as she meets up with the four. She sees the lock, "What is going on?"

"Ms. Gothel, is there anyone with the want and the means to attempt preventing you from taking these animal?" Clayton asks as he examines the lock.

"Only one person, Mr. St. North. Why do you ask?"

"Because, Ms. Gothel, we're not the only humans on this island." Clayton answers and drops the lock into one of the fires the team set for light and cooking.

At the trailer Eugene and Vanellope enter and turn on the lights. He goes over to the radio and see that it's not set. "It's not set to the frequency," Eugene says.

Walking around her father, Vanellope takes out a book from a cupboard below where the switches and dials for the radio. "Look in here," she says handing the book to Eugene.

About halfway between where the extraction team set up camp and the cliff-top camp of Eugene et al, Finn is finally getting the chance to get the High-Hide set up. As he is testing the equipment to raise and lower it the other Jeep drives past him and he hears something like an animal crying. "What in Helheim was that?" he asks. What Finn heard was the baby Great Death crying 'MOM!'

Back at the trailer, Eugene finds an open frequency to for the radio. "It's right here. Hello?" He asks into the mouthpiece of the radio.

"Hello?" comes a woman's voice in a Spanish accent.

"Buenos Dias." Vanellope says as the initial reply.

"Enrique..." is all Eugene actually understands.

"No, this not Enrique. This is Eugene Fitzherbert. Are you on the boat?" Eugene asks.

"Enrique?" the woman asks over the radio again.

"No, is this the boat?" Eugene asks. Eugene couldn't make out exactly what the woman says in reply, but he knows it's not helping him. "We're on Isla Santa. We need to talk to the boat, Mar del Plata, ma'am." He says.

Outside the other Jeep pulls up and Rapunzel and Ralph get out and Ralph gets the baby Great Death. "I'll get it," Ralph says as he goes to carry the baby Great Death. The animal tries to fend him off but can't. "It's okay. That's it. I gotcha." Ralph says as he gets the animal out. "Watch the tail and get the door." he tells Rapunzel. She runs a little faster than him and opens the door into the trailer.

Inside the trailer Eugene is just listening to the woman he radioed. "Man, is she mad at you," Vanellope comments.

"I don't pity this Enrique fellow, if she's this mad at me for a 'miss-dial', then Enrique is a little too loose for her," Eugene comments.

"What about you?"

"What's that's supposed to mean?" Eugene asks.

"Mom said you were very... indiscreet in your... choices," Vanellope says.

"How many women did she say I bed?" Eugene elects to not beat around the bush, while he rather not have this conversation he knows he has to have it with each of his children at some point. He had hoped to have gone over it with Jack and Kristoff first.

"Only four," Vanellope answers, "but you fucked like 10,000." Vanellope comments. "Mom's words."

"Actually I shared a bed with only thirty **[4]** women and that's how many... 'indiscretions'... as Helga would put, I've had. That's including her and my three other marriages and no Rapunzel is not on the list."

"But you want her to be and you want it to not be like the others, not a conquest, not an indiscretion. You actually want to marry her and you want to make it work, like be buried with her work."

"How long ago did you figure it out?" Eugene asks, he knows better than to deny it in front of any of his three children.

"When you picked me up after your first date with her, you know when she got her masters and was no longer your student. You know it's interesting," Vanellope muses.

"What?" Eugene asks.

"For a man who cites that he aged out of Catholic orphanage for why he's an antithesis-"

"Agnostic, I never said I out and out reject the existence of a divine force or being. I just openly acknowledge that I struggle with accepting what most religions say," Eugene corrects.

"As I was saying, the only women you ever felt comfortable or intimate enough to marry were good Catholic girls. My mom's Catholic, Aunt Emma and Aunt Bulda are Catholic, your third wife was Catholic and Rapunzel, your current girlfriend is Catholic." Vanellope pauses and let's Eugene look at her and realize just how smart she is and how stupid he can be. "Just saying."

Just then Rapunzel comes in, "No lectures now. Vanellope, get over here. Eugene, don't stand up." Rapunzel orders as she moves Vanellope so that she would not be in Ralph's path as he comes in.

"I got it! Watch it's head!" Ralph says as he comes in and starts to bring the baby Great Death into the trailer there is a table there they can use to examine the baby Great Death.

As Ralph carries it to the table. "No, Blondie, No!" Eugene morns.

"Eugene it's hurt." Rapunzel says as she follows Ralph to the back of the trailer and helps him put the baby Great Death onto the table. "It's okay. There you go." She says trying to calm the dragon. Needless to say, its not working.

Eugene gets up and looking at the scene, "What happened, did someone hit it with a stick?" he's not really asking. "Vanellope, honey stay back." He orders as Vanellope gets a closer look at the baby dragon. He pulls her back as the dragon continues to cries and he hears the woman say 'Enrique' and something else in Spanish. "No, lady, enough! This is not Enrique. Wrong frequency." Eugene turns off the radio, "Damn it." he curses and tries again to find the frequency for the boat.

As Eugene is doing that, Rapunzel gets what she needs to ultrasound the leg as Ralph tries to restrain the baby dragon. "Ralph, don't let it get those around you." she says to him as he narrowly avoids being bitten. Ralph elects to take off his belt and makes a makeshift mussel with it. As he mussels the dragon Rapunzel gets to ultrasound the leg. "Okay, here are the metatarsals. Tibia, fibula. There it is. There's the fracture. Right above the epiphysis."

"How bad, doc?" Ralph asks still struggling with the animal but getting to the point.

"Well if it's not set properly the dragon will die. The fracture won't heal properly, it won't be able to pivot on its ankle, It won't be able to walk, let alone run. Another predator, most likely a wing of Night Furies, will pick it off before it's a month old."

Back at the radio, "No, Carols, come in. Damn it, you bastard, listen..." Eugene rants in frustration.

Vanellope watches this and comes to a realization, "Other animals are going to hear this."

"Come in please, can you hear me, anyone?" Eugene asks into the radio still trying to get through to the boat.

"Dad, we've got to get out of here. We've got to leave." Vanellope says as her realization comes full circle and starts to panic.

"I am calling... oh who am I kidding. Where do you think we should go?" Eugene gives up on the radio.

"Someplace else, away from the crying dragon. Somewhere safe." Vanellope pleads.

"Isn't it safe here, look that little fella's relatively harmless."

"It's not the baby dragon I am trying to get away from. It's what going to hear its crying in pain I am scared of. We got to go somewhere... high... out of sight." Vanellope says and then Eugene remembers, for there to be baby dragons there have to be a mommy and a daddy dragon, and injured babies are also prey to other animals.

A short while later at the High-Hide, Finn armed with the air-rifle sees Eugene and Vanellope coming. "What? What is it? What's going on?" He asks the two. "Information." Finn request.

"Trust me, you'll be happier off not knowing. Now get us up." Eugene says as the three actually enter the High-Hide.

"I thought you said that this would put us at a convenient biting height." Finn says as he preps the controls.

"I did, I am wrong. Are you satisfied?" Eugene asks not amused at this.

"Yep. Here we go." Finn says and the High-Hide starts its ascent.

"This is stupid. I am so stupid. I never should have come along." Vanellope says realizing her error in judgment when she shuck on board as the High-Hide is pulled up.

Back in the trailer. "Can you set it?" Ralph asks.

"That's the easy part. The trick is make something temporary, something that will break apart and fall off as it grows." Rapunzel point out as she readies to inject morphine into the dragon.

"Whenever you're ready, Dr. Quinn, it's fighting." Ralph points out as he continues to struggle with the dragon.

Back at the High-Hide, it reaches its top level and is out of the way of all but Grapple Grounders. "Finn, what's the frequency for the boat?" Eugene asks.

"One five triple eight, it's the third one from the top." Finn answers as he secures the High-Hide.

"Okay, well now we're high and except for actually being off the island, this is the safest place you can be." Eugene says trying to comfort Vanellope. "Like what Rapunzel said before, the plants make it so the animals shouldn't know you're here."

"You're just trying to make me feel better. I remember all the stories you told." Vanellope points out, Eugene forgets how smart his children are.

"Oh, no, no. This is nothing like that. This is a com-" Eugene is cut short as the roar of an angry Great Death echos throughout the air. All three turn to where they heard the roar come from, even Finn is startled. "I stand corrected, this is actually the same situation. Um Finn, is there anyway we can communicate with the trailer?" Eugene asks. Finn picks up a phone that is linked the phone in the trailer and hands it to Eugene.

Back in the trailer, "It's moving too much for this to be done safely with an inexperienced assistant like me. You need to give it more morphine." Ralph points.

"We have no idea what its metabolism is. We'll put it into respiratory arrest if give it too much and it will die."

"If we don't give it more, I am very likely to use too much force trying to restrain it and break more bones and it will die." Ralph counters calling attention to his his inexperience with handling animals. He hears the phone rings and goes to get it.

"Ralph, I need your hand here. Put some pressure there." Rapunzel orders and Ralph obeys.

Back in the High-Hide, "No answer, what a surprise." Eugene says and gives Finn back the phone. "How do I get down?"

Finn gets a harness and hands it to Eugene. "Put this on you."

"Where are you going, Dad?" Vanellope asks as Finn gets the quick descend cable ready.

"I am going to get Ralph and Rapunzel out of there. There is at least one Great Death heading their way looking for the baby they brought, I don't know if it's the mommy, the daddy, or another Great Death that hears an easy meal and a way to farther it's genetic line." Eugene answers as he puts the harness on.

"Stay here, come on, you have to stay here. Please!" Vanellope pleads.

"Squeeze this rope hard, the harder you squeeze, the slower you go. You don't squeeze at all..." Finn informs.

"I get the idea." Eugene says.

"Dad, please stay here." Vanellope continues to plead.

"Now who are you?" Eugene asks, trying to calm Vanellope as he gets out so that he can go down. "My …" he pauses.

"Queen, Goddess, Inspiration." Vanellope lists off, reluctantly accepting this.

"I'm going to do everything to come right back." Eugene says.

"But you never come back!" Vanellope counters, Eugene can see her eyes reddening as she's about to cry over losing her parent. Eugene takes a breath and goes down the line.

Looking over and watch the descent. "Personally I would have squeezed just a little bit harder." Finn comments.

Back in the trailer, Rapunzel and Ralph have finished putting a cast on the leg of the baby Great Death. "Okay I am almost finished. I need another adhesive, something pliable that I can..." Rapunzel pauses and as she hears that Ralph is chewing gum. She holds out her left hand. "Spit out your gum." she orders and Ralph reluctantly obeys and Rapunzel finishes putting the cast together.

Back in the High-Hide Finn and Vanellope watch as the trees move, they both have a good idea that the movement is caused by something going through them, at least one adult Great Death and it's heading to the trailer. The Great Death passes under them and they look on, Vanellope in terror and Finn in shock.

Meanwhile, Eugene is running as fast as he can through the jungle to get back to the trailer. He's actually faster than he was before his femur was broken on Isla Dreki, but running still hurts his left leg.

In the trailer, "Get the bottle of amoxicillin and fill a syringe." Rapunzel orders as she finishes preparing the baby Great Death. Ralph looks for what he was for. "Quick injection of antibiotics and he's out of here." she continues. The phone starts ringing again. Just then Eugene arrives.

"For once in your live, woman, would it kill you pick up the phone?" Eugene asks angry and winded as he gets into the trailer, he runs to the back. "Help me get this thing out of here!" Eugene orders.

"No, we just set its leg." Rapunzel argues and tries to stop Eugene. Just then they hear something hit the Jeep in camp and witness it rolling off the ledge.

"Mommy's very angry," Eugene says and the three watch the windows intently and soon they see the heads of two Great Deaths, it's hard tell right now which is the Red and which is the Green, if in fact they are not both Red or Green.

After a minute of watching, the Great Deaths look into the trailer and not attacking. "This isn't hunting. They're searching." Rapunzel concludes. "They came for their infant."

"Then let's not disappoint them." Eugene says and picks up the baby Great Death, Rapunzel helping him. Ralph manages to get his belt off the dragon as Eugene carries it to the door. As soon as the mussel is off. 'MOM!' 'DAD!' the baby Great Death starts crying. They get it to the door and gently lower it onto the ground in front of one of the two Great Deaths. Rapunzel couldn't be happier, the dedication the parents have for this hatchling is proving her theory. Soon the three Great Deaths head back to their nest. The little one needs to be where it's safe. The phone ring, Eugene answers. "Yes, Finn?" Eugene asks.

In the High-Hide, "They're heading back into the jungle." Finn informs.

"I know, I saw, but thank you all the same. Is Vanellope alright?" Eugene asks.

"She's fine, a little shaken up, but she'll be okay. Here she is." Finn hands the phone to Vanellope.

"Hello?" she asks.

"Vanellope, how are you? Are you okay?" Eugene's voice is heard asking.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Good. Stay right there. Don't move. I'll be back up there as soon as I can, understood?" Eugene asks.

"Yeah I understand." Vanellope then hands the phone back to Finn.

Back in the trailer, Eugene hangs up the phone. "You know for the first four years I begged people to listen to me. I even wrote a book. I try to use plain simple English, I try to have no accent, I explain all my colloquialisms-" Eugene starts.

"Oh Eugene, shut up." Rapunzel says.

"Well it should make for an interesting chapter for your book," Eugene comments.

"Sincerely, I believe the whole debate about the parental instincts of the Ingis magnismors is purely academic."

"Yeah just like God, 'like a bear bereaved of her whelps'." Eugene jokes. He goes for the radio and the meaning of the verse he partially quoted, Hosea 13:8, comes inescapably clear. "Hang on this is going to be bad." Eugene says soon the trailer is forced onto it's side and turned onto it's back. Shortly after that it is pushed towards the cliff. The roar of a Great Death is heard. "They're pushing us over the cliff." he states.

"Mary, please pray for us now," Rapunzel says after doing a sign of the cross.

The Great Deaths break through the front window of trailer and continue to push it. This strange huge bug will pay for trying to eat their baby.

"Come on, come on." Ralph says as he tries to open a door. "Once we're out of here, into the woods."

"Assuming we can get out." Eugene says as he tries to help force the door open to no avail. The Great Deaths continue to push the trailer and the back half is such that it take little for it to go over. "Hang on to something!" Eugene and Ralph yell at the same time.

Soon the back half of the trailer is over the edge and all the tiny things have for the most part fallen on to the glass panel at the very back. Soon what Rapunzel grabbed a hold on gives and she falls hitting the glass, she's stunned but the impact has caused the glass to crack.

"I am going down for her." Eugene says and slowly starts a comparatively controlled descent down. As he goes down he sees that the satellite phone is hanging on one of the fixed lamps of the trailer. "Ralph, the satellite phone get it," Eugene orders. He knows for all intensive purposes the trailer's radio is lost, but maybe they can still use the phone.

Ralph starts his own descent so that he can reach it, the problem is that he does not have the footing at where he could easily reached over. As he reaches over the phone starts to slide to the right. Meanwhile Eugene almost gets to Rapunzel. As the phone slides off the lamp Ralph yells "HEADS UP!". As the satellite phone almost makes contact with the glass Eugene grabs Rapunzel's lucky bag.

The sound of the glass shattering wakes Rapunzel and she screams fearing that she's going to plummet to her death. "Lucky pack." She hears the strained voice of Eugene says as she doesn't fall to the rocks below.

Meanwhile Finn, had heard the sounds of the trailer being pushed and had left Vanellope in the comparative safety of the High-Hide. He drives back to the camp in the other Jeep. He knows something went wrong.

Back in the trailer, Ralph has completed a descent to where Eugene is and helps him get Rapunzel back into the trailer. After she's in she hugs Eugene as tight as she can. "You were right," she whispers and starts to cry. She stops as they hear the honking of the other Jeep.

Finn parks the Jeep and goes over to the wrecked and precariously balanced trailer. "Flynn! Ralph! Rapunzel!" he calls out.

"We're in here!" all three answer.

"Hold on! What happened? What did this?" he asks as he goes through the broken front windshield.

"What did you do with Vanellope?" Eugene asks.

"I left her in the High-Hide. Who's hurt? What do you need?" Finn asks trying to keep things focused.

"No one's hurt aside from a few bruises. But we need rope." Eugene answers.

"Anything else?"

"Three large triple cheeseburgers meals with everything." Eugene starts.

"No onions on mine." Ralph continues the joke.

"And an apple turnover." Rapunzel says delivering the punch line.

"I should have stayed in Berk," Finn mutters, heading back to the Jeep. He gets the rope, it's a good hundred feet long. The first thing he does with it is tie it to a nearby stump. He makes sure as best he can that the knot is secure. He then brings most of the rope with him into the trailer through the broken window and throws the rope down to Eugene, Ralph and Rapunzel.

As the three start to get a grip the trailer starts to slide. As Ralph shouts, "We're sliding!" Finn heads back out to the Jeep. He gets the wrenching cable and pulls it out as fast as he can. But the as he gets to the trailer it has slid farther than he had calculated it would, the rain turning the soil to mud is not helping matters as he trips.

As Finn recovers from his fall he hears something disheartening, the scream of Ralph, Eugene and Rapunzel falling due to the knot failing. Finn rushes over to the rope and is able to re-secure it before the three all to their deaths. After that he rushes back to the Jeep and this time he gets more of the wrenching cable and is able to get it onto the front rim of the trailer. It's not easy as the by the time he is able to, the back wheels of the front half are no longer on the ground. Then he hears his Jeep is slipping. He rushes back to it, shifts it out of neural, disengages the emergency brakes and shifts it into reverse and floors it. After he gets far enough back that the Jeep won't be pulled with the trailer he re-engages the emergency brakes and puts it into neutral.

Inside the trailer the three climb, after Finn re-secures the rope. A couple of times they lose their grips. They are relying solely on the rope, if they could put their feet on the cliff side, even with the rain it would be easier.

Back outside the Great Deaths return. They had seen Finn's Jeep, _This strange bug shall also die for helping the one that tried to eat our baby._ And similar thoughts are on the pair's minds. The Green Death is the first to arrive, he knocked over the last one of the smaller bugs and was the one doing most of the pushing of the larger one. He has to make sure none threaten his child.

He cannot afford to be driven into long grass where the Furies will tear him apart and leave him for Terrible Terrors to feast upon. He bites into this this weird bug and sees a fourth two-legs. He can't grasp why or how these Two-Legs are able to enter and exit these bugs as they please. No matter, this Two-Legs will die with the other, he may even make a good meal, the Green Death is actually starving, he hasn't eaten all day. He cracks the bug's shell open and throws it to the side. Now he goes after its two-legged parasite.

While avoiding two of the Green Death's attempts to get him, Finn struggles to get the air-rifle but it's stuck in the netting. After two tugs he gives up and goes for the flare gun. Before he could aim the jaws of the Green Death comes down on him. Finn never saw the light of day again. However factoring out death, the Green Death is the worse off of the two as Finn's trigger finger tightens and the dragon's mouth is almost set ablaze by the magnesium burn of the flare going off.

If he had his hydrogen gas sacks he would have exploded, that being said in hindsight eating the two-legs was the worse decision he ever made. He roars in agony and storms away. The Red Death follows her mate, for her the strange huge bug that swallowed her baby and regurgitated it has been thought it's lesson as well as the two-legged parasites that infest it and the smaller strange bugs with it and their own two-legged parasite, and now it's her mate that needs her. Although she can do little for him.

As the two Great Deaths leave, the trailer continues to fall off the cliff pulling with it Finn's Jeep. Rapunzel, Eugene and Ralph still clinging on to the rope. With the lose of the trailer, the three can use the ledge as footing in their ascent up the cliff, in spite of the rain.

After a minute of climbing Rapunzel is the first to reach the top and just as she reaches over to get on the ledge a hand reaches out. It's Clayton and he helps her up. As he gets up on the top Shere Khan is close at hand and helps Ralph up and after Ralph gets on to the top. Finally Eugene comes up and is helped over by Clayton.

After they get him over, Vanellope runs through the crowd of made up of the Gothel's extraction team and embraces her father, much like any child who thought they had lost their parent.

Author's notes

Update on cast: Gaston Le Veneur is Gaston from Beauty and the Beast and fills in for Dieter, Le Fou is Le Fou from Beauty and The Beast and fills in the role of Carter.

Update to dragons: None this chapter

 **[1]** I was actually writing this before I learned of the... well let's call it what it is... murder of Cecil the Lion by the American dentist Walter Palmer (The fact that he hails from my nation just disgust me, the fact that this monster is human and has not been brought to justice disgusts me, and his daughter's recent mass-murder of wolves disgusts me). It should be noted that Clayton hates dentists, mostly because of their stupidity out in the bush, but also because those that go trophy hunting think they can purchase the right to kill, Clayton actually despise trophy hunting, yes he has trophies from his hunts, but he has a kill rate of closer to .5% and his 'successful' hunts were often with Shere Khan and at the end of his hunting career.

 **[2]** Believe it or not, piranha are actually not as dangerous as most people believe they are, it's only when the river they live in has as larger number of arapaima (a fairly large Amazon fish) than normal resulting in that only the fieriest piranha surviving to breed. In truth this actually rare during the 1990's and this fact is also widely unknown.

 **[3]** Gothel's not stupid, she knows prices in the US have a historically stable inflation rate of 2 to 3%, but she knows that's it better to project her costs to be higher

 **[4]** When Disney was developing 'Tangled' they ultimately elected to give up on the 'strong man' look for Flynn Rider and had approximately 30 female employees pooled together what they considered makes an attractive man and thus the Eugene 'Flynn Rider' Fitzherbert we all know and love.


	4. In the company of Death

_Replies to Reviews:_

 _thearizona: I love do the change in POV, mostly because I want to point out that these creatures are simply animals not monsters and somethings that means pointing out how close we are to them. I couldn't image any other way for Finn to go out, almost taking the dragon done with him._

 **C** **hapter 4 In the company of Death**

A short while later at the remains of the extraction force's base camp. "Our communication equipment been destroyed and if your radio and satellite phone were in those trailers that went over the cliff..." Clayton starts.

"They were." Eugene answers.

"Then we're stuck here, ladies and gentlemen, stuck together thanks to you people." Clayton rightfully accuses Eugene, Rapunzel and Ralph.

"Hey we came here to watch, you came to strip-mine the place." Ralph counters.

"Back off." Gaston says to Ralph.

"Well at least we came prepared." Gothel continues. "But since you destroyed all our equipment-"

"Five years of work and a hundred miles of electrified fence couldn't prepare the other island. You think your... couple dozen Marlboro men will help here?" Eugene points out.

"It's a looters' mentality. All you care about is what you can take. You have no right." Ralph comments irritated with Gothel and her cronies.

"On the contrary, it's you that has no right. Especially to be here, you are trespassing. You see, InGen, not St. North, purchased the entire island chain and Isla Dreki from the Costa Rican government two years ago. Now although St. North owns the majority of the company's stock at 75%, he actually only hold 51% of the common stock **[1]**. He may have the biggest cut of the pie but he has to play nice with the other investors to get what he wants. That means doing what they want every so often and they want to use InGen's assets here to get out of debt. Also an extinct animal genetically re-created has no rights. These dragons exist solely because we made them, we've patented them, we own them. And this island is not a wildlife preserve." Gothel informs rather dismissively.

Ralph turns his attention to Gaston who is clearly eying him. "Are you looking for trouble?" Ralph asks ticked.

"I found you didn't I." Gaston comments and the two go to blow before either can do any real damage to each other they are pulled about by the other men.

Stepping into the middle as the two are a fair distance from each other, "I know you. You're that Earth First bastard, Ralph 'Wreck-It-Ralph' Wilhelm It. Shame you don't have your brother Felix Jr. here to fix your mess this time." Clayton says as he takes a good look at Ralph.

"Earth First?" Gothel asks.

"They are a band of professional saboteurs." Clayton answers.

"We're environmentalist." Ralph counters.

"Eco-terrorists and criminals actually." Clayton counters.

"Knock it off. All of you. By moving the baby Great Death first to where you intended to trap the parents-" Rapunzel starts.

"Actually any Green Death, not necessarily the father." Shere Khan points out interrupting Rapunzel.

"And then into our camp, we may have changed the perceived territory of the couple." Rapunzel continues.

"Assuming that your camp site was not already part of their territory." Mufasa comments, "Either way that's why they precessed to destroying the trailers. They felt the need to defend the baby from whatever threat is in this area. In short we need to move right now."

"And go where? Our boat and their airlift are waiting for orders we can't send." Ralph points out.

Gothel goes through her own bag and pulls out a map of Isla Santa. "It's all right. In the old operations building there is a communications center." She shows the location on the map. "We have everything running on geothermal power. It was never meant to need replenishing as InGen originally never planned to leave it. If we can get there, we can send a radio call to the airlift. Clayton." Gothel hands the map to Clayton and pulls out another book. "The radio frequency is in here." She hands the book to Clayton.

"So how far is the village?" Ralph asks.

"Given this size crew, that Vanellope will be the one to set the pace because she's the slowest and given that she's still a child and has the least endurance, also factoring the salvageable equipment and that there are no functioning vehicles, thanks to the present company..." Gothel says as she gestures to Eugene, Ralph and Rapunzel and pauses. After a minute "A day's walk, maybe more." Gothel finally answers. "But that's not the problem, the Night Furies are. Our infrareds show that their nesting sites are concentrated in the island's interior, closer to the compound. Which is why we planned to keep to the outer rim."

"What's a Night Fury?" Gaston asks.

"Laedo erinyes, later part of the mid-Cretaceous to the mass-extinction 65 million years ago. Looks like a cross between a cave salamander, a panther and a bat. Carnivore, hunts in wings of up to seven, maybe even ten, about 9 meters long, wide mouth with a bite force greater than a crocodile, binocular vision and most definitively retractable teeth." Mufasa informs. "Theorized by Dr. Valka Haddock, formerly Dr. Valka Engelstad, to spit hot plasma as opposed to breathing fire like most dragons." He concludes.

"And the Great Deaths may continue to track us, too, if they perceive that we still pose a threat to them or their baby." Rapunzel adds to list of threats.

"With all due respect, I have to disagree with you there, Dr. Corona. With what they believe to be your deaths when the trailer when over, we'll lose them once we leave their territory." Mufasa counters.

"Don't count on it, only one species of animals we have found in the fossil records has a larger proportional olfactory cavity."

"Right, the turkey vulture, which is still extant by the way, can pick up a scent 10 miles away."

"Well as thrilling as this debate is I say we should push on to the village." Gothel cuts the debate short.

"We could head back down to the lagoon Ralph, Finn and I off-loaded." Eugene offers.

"And do what? Sit out in the open, next to a heavily used water source and hope that your captain decides to check on you there?"

"He won't do that, he's not that stupid." Ralph points out.

"Then we make for the village, we might find some sort of shelter there and we can at least call for help. Leave everything that can be left, keep all the guns and bullets. The Deaths just fed so they won't be hunting us for food for a while."

"Just fed, I assume you're talking about Finn? You might want to show a little more respect. He died trying to ours lives."

"And if the second edition of your book has the smallest possible amount of truth in it, Dr. Fitzherbert, then you know better than anyone else here that Fearless Finn Hofferson's problems are over and that ours have barely began. My point is that most predators don't hunt when they're not hungry." Clayton points out the situation.

"No, only humans do." Ralph comments.

"Oh, you're breaking my heart! Saddle up, let's get this moveable feast under way!" Clayton orders and they start to head out from the extraction team's camp.

Hours later as they walk during another rain storm, Ralph meets up with Clayton near the front, "Excuse me, You want some gum?" He offers.

"Thank you but no." Clayton declines respectfully.

"You seem like you have a shred of common sense, unlike the better part of your crew." Ralph comments.

"No argument here." Clayton agrees.

"So what the hell are you doing here?" Ralph gets to the point.

"Somewhere on this island is one of the greatest predators that ever lived. It's time for his successor to take the crown." Clayton answers

"You gonna use that?" Ralph says looking at the gun Clayton carries, a customized double barreled rifle.

"If he doesn't surrender, yes."

"May I-" Ralph starts.

"No, you may not handle it." Clayton correctly assumes what Ralph is asking.

"The animal exists on the planet for the first time in tens of millions of years and the only way you can express yourself about that fact is to kill it?" Ralph comments. "Don't get me wrong, I am a wrecker, but killing an animal to express how you feel about it?"

"Remember that cap, I forget his name, almost twenty years ago climbed Mt. Everest without any oxygen, came back down nearly dead."

"You mean, Reinhold Messner."

"Yes, him. They asked him, now this is a paraphrase mind you, 'why did you go up there to die', you know what his response was?" Clayton asks the proceed on the trail.

"To paraphrase him, 'I didn't, I went up there to live.'" Ralph finishes it acknowledging Clayton's point. Clayton is here to live.

Farther back in the procession, Gothel is walking alongside Eugene and Vanellope. "Say I didn't have a chance to wish you luck on your new business venture. You're off to a promising start." Eugene jabs.

"Unlike you, my team is intact. I am not sorry for the loss of your man. Ralph and Rapunzel are the reason why the Great Deaths attacked your camp. If they left my camp alone, Clayton would have collected his fee, and we all could be out of here. Of course there would be the backlash of St. North attempts to get US and Costa Rican public opinion to shut it down, but InGen would be out of debt, you would be vindicated without further loss of life and who knows an a week's time we may share a bottle of Scotch and while having a good laugh about your book." Gothel points out. "Although it's interesting, you write me off a hypocrite with what I am doing, but your criticism of my actions is equally if not more hypocritical." Gothel retorts and rebukes Eugene.

"How so?" he asks.

"This whole operation is actually your idea." Gothel answers.

"What?" Eugene asks confused.

"You don't remember do you? Well in the report you gave my uncle when he asked you to crunch the numbers you gave him a possible solution to the problems he faced, granted you still concluded that it would blow up in his face, but that was based on the technology and science of the 1980's, over a decade ago. Things changed and your solution is now quite viable."

"You read my full report?"

"I did, I was the one that read it the board when St. North pitched the idea of Draconic Park in the first place." Gothel answers. Eugene is without words. "Also St. North's reach exceeded his grasp, mine does not. Unlike him I am not trying to make that which is impossible possible, I'm making what is possible reality."

"When you try to be like St. North and prove me wrong, it comes out sounding like a hustle. And taking dragons off this island is the worse idea in a long and sad history of bad ideas InGen acted on, and I am going to be there when you learn it." Eugene comments and he and Vanellope picks up their pace. Gothel shakes her head.

Hours later as the large band continues its trek to the abandoned InGen operating center and it's clear that it's mid morning. There is a moment when the rear most dozen, Clayton among them, believe they hear a distant roar. "Go." Clayton says and they hasten their pace.

About an hour later as they continue their trek, Rapunzel brushes against a some ferns. Normally this is nothing but the blood of the baby Great Death is on her jacket and some of it clings to the fern. Clayton notices the blood. He's not sure if it's Rapunzel's or not, but now is a good time for a brief rest. "Take a break. Five minutes." Clayton orders. And everyone looks for a something to set down on. Clayton however goes to where Rapunzel sets. "Are you injured?" he asks subtlety calling attention to the blood on Rapunzel's jacket.

Looking down at the spot, "Oh, no. It's from the baby Great Death. I set its broken leg." Rapunzel answers. "It's just not drying in this humidity. We just had to come during the wet season." She comments.

"I suggest you get rid of the jacket, double back throw it as far as you and take a different path back here. If you are correct about the Great Death's they may have followed the scent also, the blood may attract other animals. Actually let me take it." Clayton says.

"Sure, thanks." Rapunzel says and takes off the jacket and hands it to Clayton.

"Clayton, a word?" Gothel asks Clayton. He gets up and meets with Gothel, forgetting his gun. Gothel takes out the map. "I'd love to know where we are." Gothel points out.

"That's going to be a little tricky, since this my first time on the island too. But here is the com..." Clayton starts as the two walk towards the back.

Ralph walks up to where Rapunzel is and sits down next to her. "Making friends with Ahab?"

"Don't start Ralph." Rapunzel cuts him off and leans forward to wipe the dirt off her feet and check for blisters, Rapunzel grew up without shoes and no one seems able to convince her to wear them. Ralph leans back and notices Clayton's gun.

Down the path, Gaston is heading to get off the trail. "Le Fou, I am going to find a rock **[2]**." Gaston says.

"Gaston, are you heading off trail?" Clayton asks noticing Gaston heading away.

"I am off to find a rock." Gaston answers.

After making Rapunzel's jacket into a ball with the blood stained part on the inside. "Don't get the blood on you and chuck it as far away as you can." Clayton orders as he tosses the jacket to Gaston. Gaston catches it. "It's to throw off some of the dragons that may be following us."

"Understood." Gaston answers, passing Le Fou. "Wait for me here." Gaston doesn't notice that Le Fou is listening to music and doesn't hear him.

Down the 'path' Gaston 'follows', he finds a rock and prepares to urinate on it. But first he chucks the jacket Clayton into the woods. He's not sure why this would throw off something following them, but he's not in a place nor is he in the mood to question Clayton. As he's about to undo his fly. He hears something in the ferns. He goes for his gun and looks around in a bit of a panic. He hears it again and follows it away from where he dropped his gear farther into the woods. Just when thought he was in the clear, a Terrible Terror jumps from the undergrowth on his left causing him to jump back. Within seconds he regains his composure and chuckles.

"It's not polite to sneak up on people." he says, taking out his wand. Apparently it was the same the same Terror he shocked before because it bolts into the growth. After failing to get it he laughs silently to himself and heads out. However he doesn't remember where he was or know where he is. "Le Fou! Where are you?" He shouts. No response. "Le Fou! I got turned around in here!" After looking around himself. "Shit!" he curses under his breath.

Back at where the group started their break, Le Fou is still listening to his music and doesn't hear Gaston's voice. "Le Fou! Where are you!"

Back in the woods Gaston tries to find his way out, but ends up getting farther and farther away. "Le Fou!" he shouts. He then goes silent while he continues to walk. After about 15 seconds, he tries to shout to Le Fou, but he missteps and slides down a ravine. In the fall he loses his gun and lands on his chest his face in the dirt. As he starts to regain himself a small flight of Terrible Terrors swarm to him and being to attack him. Gaston struggles to get back on his feet and keep them from biting into his gut. He cries in pain as one manages to bit into his neck. For a minute he struggles with them but for some reason they fall back and go to the other side of a log. Gaston brushes himself off as best he can and turns to leave. The Terrors begin to swarm behind him but he turns, they stop and he chases them for a few yards and throws a few rocks and the Terrors disburse. "I am not getting paid enough for this." He mutters to himself and tries to get back to the group. "CLAYTON!" he shouts.

Back at the main group's resting spot. Clayton reclaims his rifle and says. "Okay, break's over. We're moving on now." It has been five minutes since they stopped. Everyone reluctantly gets back on to their feet.

Before they head out one of the crew sees that Le Fou is still sitting down. He takes a rock and throws it at Le Fou to get his attention. Le Fou turns, takes off his head sets and rejoins the group.

Somewhere else, Gaston is calling out for Le Fou. However, the Terrors were following him in greater numbers and soon catch up with him. Gaston tries to get away but he loses his footing and trips over a large log. As Terrible Terror after Terrible Terror, in ones and twos and threes, jump over the log. Gaston's voice is heard crying out in horror and pain, but soon the only sound that is heard is the Terror's tearing off flesh and some squabbling amongst themselves. The stream near the log slowly gains the color of red.

After leaving the area the group rested, Clayton notices the absence of Gaston. Clayton orders a stop and asks around until he gets to Le Fou. "When did you see him last?" Clayton asks.

"Ten, fifteen minutes tops, it was before the last break." Le Fou answers.

Going to a few of the men, "Come with me. If he's alive we'll find him. The rest of you should keep right on going. Ten minutes or so, you'll reach the ridge at this pace. Wait for us there and no one says a word about this to the girl until we get back." Clayton and the group he selected starts to double back to the previous break area.

"Right, well let's carry on. Come up let's get up." Gothel says trying to get everyone back on their feet with little success.

"Alright guys, let's get the hell out of here." Ralph says getting to his feet and everyone else does likewise.

Hours later as night has fallen, the first group reached the agreed upon rest site with most are trying to get some sleep. Gothel is on a makeshift pillow and is out like a light. There is a tent set up, but everyone for the most part sleeps in the open, save three; Shere Khan, Ralph and Eugene are on watch duty. Shere Khan hears something. "Clayton?" he asks to himself. He, Eugene and Ralph head over to where the sound was coming from and meet with Clayton and the search party.

As the better part of the search party go to take a short break lead by Ralph, Eugene and Shere Khan debrief Clayton. "Did you find him?" Eugene asks getting to heart of the matter as Shere gives Clayton a water canister.

Clayton takes a few swigs and answers, "Only what they didn't like. Map." Shere Khan takes out the map and a flashlight. As the three look on. "The operations building is right down in there. About a mile and a half from the base of these cliffs." Clayton informs.

"How do you know that?" Eugene asks.

"I took the liberty to scout ahead to make sure we are heading the right direction and to assess how close we are."

"So that's why you're here so late." Shere Khan comments.

"The climb down won't easy for any of us, but more so for your daughter, due to her inexperience and Shere if his left foot goes lame." Clayton points out.

"Why would it go lame if it wasn't already?" Eugene asks.

"We were hunting on Kodiak Island, my foot got caught in a bear trap that one of our crew didn't inform the rest where it was. The doctors saved the foot, but every so often I lose all feeling in it." Shere Khan answers.

"Back to the matter at hand. We'll let everyone sleep one more hour and then we hit it." Clayton finishes and turns off the flashlight. He goes to a place where he can recline and recover between now and the attempt to make to the cliff. Shere Khan follows. Eugene looks back to the tent. He elects to go wake up Rapunzel and Vanellope, who are the tent's occupants. As he walks he barely notices a puddle of water rippling. He stops and looks around as he walks backwards to the tent and notices another ripple.

In the tent Rapunzel wakes up, she felt the ground vibrate ever so slightly. Slowly she looks up, she knows her jacket was chucked, but her scent was all over it, if the parents found it they may have elect to continue the pursuit. "Oh no." she whispers.

Outside Eugene had stopped, still a distance from the tent and this time he feels the earth vibrate with. "This is not good." Eugene says to himself.

In the tent Rapunzel hasty turns off the light. Just as things go dark the silhouette of a Great Death appears and outside Eugene freezes. Rapunzel tries to slow her breathing and keep it quiet. The Great Death however moves it's head to be inside the tent. It growls and sniffs around. Rapunzel sees that Vanellope is awoke and covers her mouth pulling her close before she can make too much noise. The Great Death continues to smell around and growl, it cannot see the two, they are outside of it's field of vision.

Outside the tent Eugene is still frozen, he knows there is almost nothing he can do. "Vanellope, Blondie" he whispers.

Among the sleeping crew, Le Fou stares and after a few seconds registers that he's seeing a Great Death. "AHHHHHH!" he screams thrice which wakes everyone else. They all turn to see the Great Death and start screaming as they get up and run in rout.

"Stay down, stay down. Don't Move." Eugene tries to command but no one listens to him. "Don't run." He says as the Great Death lifts its head and turns towards the noise taking the tent with it, which blinds it to the fleeing humans. It shakes the tent off and then follows beings to follow the humans. In the confusion Eugene takes cover under a log.

Also in the confusion Ralph meets up with Rapunzel and Vanellope, "Don't look back, just run! Run! Run! Run!" Ralph says as he pushes the two forward.

Elsewhere Eugene is crawling on the ground, keeping himself relatively hidden by the logs. He finds Shere Khan's backpack with the map and booklet.

At this time, Clayton moves into action and takes aim as now both the Red and Green Deaths are in sight. He aims for the Green, pulls the trigger, but the gun doesn't fire. He takes out the bullets only to see that what he had in the barrels were the casing. "Bastard-ed son of a bitch!" he curses.

In their panic the main group little knowing what else to do except run. The Red Death follows them. As they run, Le Fou loses his footing and trips. He is almost trampled by his crew, but avoids that death only to be crushed and stuck to the Red Death's front right foot. He cries in pain he is smashed to death. After three steps his body is dislodged from the Red Death's foot.

Back where the temporary camp was set up, Clayton gets the air-rifle Shere Khan brought to use on the Red Death in case she came first or while they were collecting the proof of the Green Death's death as they planned before Ralph took the baby. The box is labeled with a warning label, 'Warning! Veterinary Tranquilizers Contains Concentrated Nerve Agents!'. Clayton opens it up and takes out one dart. "I was hoping to never uses these, and if so only on the Red Death." He mutters to himself as he loads the dart and takes a second one just in case which he holds in his teeth. He then heads back to main part of the camp and sees the Green Death still there. Discretely he approaches to within firing-range. He aims and fires, hitting his mark. The Green Death feels the dart and roars. As the Green Death turns and prepares to charge Clayton, the hunter loads the second dart, takes aim and fire.

The main group continues to run from the Red Death, she roars as she follows. The better part of the group veers to the left of a waterfall, but Rapunzel, Vanellope, Ralph and Dr. Mufasa go in. The Red Death however follows them. Tries as she can she only get her head in. She reaches for them but they are just out of her grasp. That fact is of little comfort to the four as they have to keep pressed against the wall to avoid the Red Death's maw. "He can't reach us!" Ralph shouts trying to calm everyone.

"She, that's the Red Death!" Rapunzel and Mufasa corrects as the Red Death pull her head back as if she's pulling out. Just then Mufasa feels a bite. A snake had bitten him. The pain cause in him to step forward from the wall, "STAY BACK!" Rapunzel screams only to realize that the Red Death was only waiting for one of them to slip and get away from the wall and that her scream alerted the Red Death. Before anyone can do anything the Red Death reaches back in, grabs Mufasa by his arm and pulls him out. Everyone hears the stomach turning sound of bones being crushed.

For ten seconds they are frozen in terror until Ralph notices another shadow on the other side of the waterfall. "SHE'S COMING BACK!"

Vanellope screams as the shadow makes it's way in, it's not the Red Death, it's her father. "DAD!" she shouts and embraces her father, hitting him in frustration as girls and women are known to do time to time. "YOU STICKBRAIN! STICKBRAIN! STICKBRAIN!" she shouts as she hits her father until she breaks down into tears and cries into his shoulder.

"Thank you." He says to Ralph and Rapunzel.

Elsewhere the main group continues their flight from the Great Deaths. Soon they exit the jungle and are about to enter an area of long grass. Shere Khan is not the first there but he is there before most. "DON'T GO INTO THE LONG GRASS! NOT INTO THE LONG GRASS!" Shere Khan orders but no one listens to him. As they continue to run they gather together and are unaware of what is else in the long grass.

In the long grass a couple of Night Furies raise to see the heads of the humans. "We need to feed soon." one Night Fury says to the other. "All the prey have been spooked for two days now and just recently a Great Death pair entered our territory. It's almost nesting season, Alpha, and if the females don't eat soon..."

"Use the silent call, we eat well tonight." the Alpha says and the other Night Fury emits a low call humans can't hear.

As the main group tries to get together and shine flashlights, they are still in a panic. "Move it. Keep moving." one orders. Unbeknownst to the humans an ever-growing wing nearing the size of a small flight of Night Furies also make their way through the grass towards them and close the distance. One strikes pulls the rear most human off his feet. This action is repeated approximately four to five times as the Night Furies attack closes in on the center of the group. The humans panic and began to split up as they try to run in different directions, they only make themselves easier prey.

About a minute and a half after the main group started through the grass, Eugene, Ralph, Rapunzel and Vanellope arrive there. They stop and listen, they barely hear the muffled screams of those from the larger group being silenced. Eugene take off Shere Khan's backpack, takes out the map and the book with the radio frequency and chucks it. After letting everyone catch their breath for half a minute, "Go, as fast as you can. Run!" Eugene orders after pocketing both the book and map and the four start their own run through the long grass. They make it through to the ledge on the other side in less than thirty seconds, but not knowing where the ledge actually is they go over the edge, Eugene first. They slides down a waterway and land in about ten seconds relatively unhurt for most of them. They start in the direction of the old operations center, but they don't get far because Eugene's left leg is acting up. He's not injured per se, but the old wound is aggravated. Ralph went up a head for a short distance and comes back.

As they stop for Eugene to massage his leg. "I saw a building, if you can call them that at this point, up ahead. They said the communication center is in the operations building. I'll get in there and send the radio call." Ralph says and holds his hand out for the book.

As Eugene hands over the book and map, "Wait for us." Rapunzel requests.

"Sorry every second counts. If you can keep up you're welcome to try." Ralph says and starts to head out.

"Watch out for the double-strips, Major Body-odor." Vanellope shouts jesting with Ralph.

"See ya soon, Baroness Booger-face." Ralph shouts back. Within seconds he's in the greater compound are and makes his way into the operations building and after a minute and a half of looking around he reaches the communications area. He finds the on/off switch for the whole array and brings it to on. He then searches for the radio. He finds it and turns it on, however it's not set to the frequency. He sets to the frequency that Gothel indicated almost 24 hours ago and takes the speaker. "CQ, CQ, this InGen Operations Harvest Leader to Harvest Base. Repeating, I'm calling for InGen Operations Harvest Leader seeking InGen Harvest Base." Ralph says into the radio.

"Go ahead, Harvest Leader." a voice is heard over the radio in response.

"The operation has suffered severe casualties, and the survivors are now in mortal danger. I need you to send rescue immediately. Our coordinates here are, 9 degree 58 minutes north, 85 degrees..." Ralph continues with the call for evac.

In the area where the camp that the Great Death's attacked, Gothel staggers in awe as she sees Clayton and the sedated body of the Green Death.

Back where Eugene, Vanellope and Rapunzel took a break, Eugene feels confident in his leg and they start towards the operations building, but within a few steps and has to stop. He leans against a tree as he rubs his left thigh again, clearly in pain. "The fracture's still acting up?" Rapunzel asks. Eugene nods "Okay big guy, I got your left side." she says as offers herself as a human-crutch. Eugene begrudgingly accepts Rapunzel's offer, mostly because he has no other viable option to get off this island.

"I am not that big of a guy." Eugene retorts as the continue to the operation's center. It takes longer for them to reach the operation buildings then Ralph, as Ralph ran with all haste, but the three have to deal with not aggravating Eugene's fracture more than the fall and being the one at the bottom of the pile. After several minutes of walking as they are also traveling with their heads always turning and looking around so not to be caught off guard, however their fear, while not unfounded, was not needed as the Night Furies had acquired their fill and the Great Deaths where otherwise occupied.

Ralph herds Rapunzel, Eugene and Vanellope to the chopper that landed on the operation center' helipad. At the top is one of the helicopter's crew members. "Let's go, let's go." he orders.

"What about the others? There has to be more survivors?" Eugene asks.

"More choppers are coming." The man says as Rapunzel, Vanellope, Ralph and Eugene get into the passenger part of the helicopter.

The helicopter takes off and starts to fly away from the compound. Vanellope passes out mostly out of relief to be heading off the island. Eugene and Rapunzel try to just decompress from all that has happened. Ralph takes out of one of his pockets two bullets, the ones from Clayton's gun. "That's at least one souvenir they won't be taking with them." Ralph muses as he looks at the bullets and lets them drop to the floor.

Where the Green Death was taken down, men come down off of lines from a larger helicopter and land, it is clear that Gothel had a few contingencies lined-up as men move with a purpose. "Find the infant Great Death. Clayton can show you where the nest is." Gothel says. Some of the new men are looking after the survivors but most are preparing the Green Death for transportation. "I want it on my jet and taken directly to the infirmary complex in San Fransokyo. And do be swift about it, we have to be airborne before the Red Death knows we're here." Gothel says as she walk looking over the sedated and restrained Green Death. She spots Clayton sitting down near by it. "Oh Clayton? Clayton?"she asks getting his attention. "You probably saved InGen. We lost everything we came here for on this trip, no thanks to my good uncle Jolly Old Nicholas. But this, this majestic creature and his infant will single-handily bail us out, even with settling wrongful death suits and every other unforeseen expense."

"I suppose 'congratulations' are in order." Clayton says dejectedly.

"You've got your trophy! A Green Death only and more over he's alive. Everyone on the planet will line up and appreciate him and what you did for us. What's the matter?" She asks

"Shere Khan, he didn't make it. His foot went numb and the Furies got him when he lost his balance." Clayton laments.

"Oh... I am sorry. Really, I am. Listen, I remember the people who've helped me, Clayton, there's a job for you at the park in San Fransokyo, if you want it." Gothel offers.

"I'll have to pass. I believe that I've spent more than enough time in the company of death." Clayton says and as he walks way to a helicopter that landed. Gothel watches on and then looks up to see the helicopter that picked up Ralph, Eugene, Rapunzel and Vanellope.

In that helicopter Rapunzel, Ralph and Eugene notice the site where most of the helicopters have landed and they see the Green Death in it's restraining cage. After watching for several seconds. "So much for not taking that souvenir home." Eugene comments under his breath.

Author's Notes:

 **[1]** There are two types of stock a company can sell, Common and Preferred. The major differences between the two is that Common stock allows the holder to vote while Preferred guarantees that the holder will be paid dividends if dividends are declared and they are first to be paid among shareholders if the company holds a fire sale

 **[2]** This is a term I picked up while I was a Boy Scout that means to find a spot to relieve oneself


	5. Draconic Park San Fransokyo

**Chapter 5: Draconic Park San Fransokyo**

Approximately 24 hours later, a helicopter flies in San Fransokyo's skyline towards the InGen Water Complex. Gothel's voice is heard, speaking to all those that have arrived and are still arriving. "The better part of a score ago, Nicholas St. North had a dream. Like Nicholas himself, the dream was grand, outsized, bold, but it was impractical and... not to be." Gothel pauses for dramatic effect. "But half an hour from now, Nicholas St. North's dream will be re-imagined and come true. For one-hundredth of the cost of building a destination resort thousands of miles away..." Gothel continues addressing the small crowd.

Pulling up to the security gate, Rapunzel and Eugene step out of her car. "Hi there, is this the Gothel affair?" Eugene asks the guard.

"Sir, this is private property." the guard states.

"Oh no, we're on the list." Eugene replies.

"Turn around and get back in your car."

"This is Dr. Corona and I'm Dr. Fitzherbert."

"That's very nice." The guard says, starting to shut the gate.

"We have Ms. Gothel's test results." Rapunzel says, trying to get the guard to stop.

"There's good news and bad news." Eugene says, the guard lets them in after hearing his words.

Back at the crowd near Gothel. "Tonight we will christen Draconic Park, San Fransokyo, with a mega-attraction that drive the turnstile numbers to rival any theme park in the world." Gothel pauses, not so much for dramatic effect, but to assess the crowd she notices that the guard had let Rapunzel and Eugene in. "I want to thank each and every one of you for being intrepid enough to be here in the very early hours of the morning." Gothel stops as the harbormaster approaches her.

"The ship is here," the harbor master whispers to Gothel. She covers the microphone she's speaking into and comments, "It's early."

"You better come now," he replies.

"Everyone here is just bubbling with excitement, best to calm the men in trenches down, don't want them being shot in the head," Gothel jokes and everyone laughs. As she follows the harbor master, she turns to another security guard. "See that couple over the-"

"Sir, you need to see this," The harbor master cuts Gothel off and she follows, it's not the ideal way to christen the park, but there are worse.

"Let them see this up close," She orders. This is the chance to rub her success in their faces.

"Yes sir," the guard acknowledges the order.

Inside the harbor command, Gothel is lead to the harbor master's radio. "Look. That's the ship's transponder signal, Venture 5888," the harbor master says, pointing on the computer monitor showing a feed of the harbor and the incoming ship. "They're headed in, but I can't reach them."

"Well try again," Gothel order.

"Skipper, SS Venture, this is InGen Harbor Master, do you copy? Over," the harbor master radios. No response as the ship continues its approach. "Skipper, SS Venture, you are approaching the breakwater at speed. Reduce at once. Over," the harbor master radios again. The ship's skipper doesn't reply and the ship doesn't show signs of slowing down.

Back outside, Rapunzel and Eugene are escorted to the event. However, there is the feel of something amiss. Everyone looks in the direction the ship should take to make berth **[1]**.

Back inside the Harbor Command, another person radios the ship, "SS Venture, reduce your speed at once."

"SS Venture, this is InGen Harbor Master. You are entering a docking area," the harbor master radios. Still no confirmation.

Outside Rapunzel and Eugene make their way to the front of most of the onlookers. "What's everybody looking at?" Rapunzel asks.

"Certainly not the floating lanterns," Eugene jokes. However, within five seconds his tune changes. "We should've stayed in the car," he mutters.

Everyone looks on as something approaches the docking area. Inside the harbor command, most can't see what is going on, but Gothel sees on the monitor the icon for the ship is still getting closer and closer. Silently she walks out, turning to the right and seeing the ship just as it's about to collide with the dock. Just before it does, everyone runs away and all narrowly miss being seriously injured as the ship plows its way through the main wooden dock until it comes to rest.

Everyone is shaken. "Don't panic, don't panic. The captain must have fallen asleep at the wheel, they have had a long vogue after all," Gothel says, trying to calm everyone down. She walks over towards the ship.

"Are you okay, Ms. Gothel?" a guards asks.

"I don't know, do I look it? Damage control now," she orders, heading onto the ship. Unbeknownst to her, Eugene and Rapunzel are following not far behind. After using the rubble to climb on board, Gothel and several of the InGen dock men start to look around the ship to see what happened. Gothel and the guard, that asked if she was okay, head to the bridge. The guard arrives first and nearly vomits upon opening the door. "Where's the crew?" Gothel asks.

"All over the place," the guard says, stepping in. Gothel finally has a chance to see what the guard meant. It's not a pretty sight and she walks away to vomit.

"I smell a fuel leak!" one the men looking around shouts. Few people noticing the rising and lowering of the cargo bay's deck doors. Except Eugene and Rapunzel, being the last to get on board. Eugene looks for the control to the doors, he see it with a closed severed hand with the weight of its thumb on the red 'down' button.

Ordering from the railing of the pilot house, "Check the cargo hold. There maybe crew down there," comes Gothel's voice as she makes it down.

"EVERYONE OFF THE BOAT!" Eugene shouts, running to get off the boat, grabbing Rapunzel in the process.

At the controls, a guard frees the control from the hand and pushes the green up. Eugene notices too late and runs back. "GET AWAY FROM THAT!" The doors open violently and with their opening the Green Death emerges and gives a thunderous roar. As it slowly makes it's way off the ship, it roars several times while getting off the ship and heads to the mainland, plowing through the sign stating 'You are now entering the United States of America.'

Watching all this unfold, Gothel is horrified, but not for what the Green Death has and can do, but because of the costs that she had now incurred. However she's not allowed to ponder this for long.

"Now you're Nicholas St. North," Eugene says to her, indicating that she is a fool that had no idea the powers she was playing with and it's come to bite her in the ass. Eugene leaves her to regroup with Rapunzel. He finds Rapunzel with one of the dock men.

"There better be a good reason why he wasn't tranquilized?" Rapunzel asks.

"It-" the dock man starts.

"He, Green Deaths are the males of the species." Rapunzel corrects.

"He was. Clayton shot it with two darts of concentrated Carfentanil. Over 10 milligrams." the man answers.

"10 milligrams, that would put a whale into coma." Rapunzel points out irritated.

"I... he stopped breathing so we gave it naltrexone to counteract the carfentanil. But we didn't know how much to give."

"You administered an antagonist without knowing the proper dosage? You put it in a narcoleptic state. He's basically a locomotive now." Rapunzel points out, while calm in her delivery her irritation is obvious.

"Look we're prepared here."

"That's what they said on Isla Dreki, and what Gothel believed on Isla Santa. But more importantly, are there any more dragons on the boat?" Eugene asks.

"No, the only other dragon taken was the infant Great Death and it was brought here on a plane. Look we have this to tranquilize it," the man says and pulls out gun meant to fire a tranquilizer.

Rapunzel and Eugene double back and see Gothel sitting just seeing everything around her unravel. "Hey, do you have the infant?" Rapunzel asks.

"It's safe," Gothel answers.

Turning to Eugene, "Eugene, the animal's dehydrated. The first thing he's going to do is look for a source of water he can drink and then he's going to look for the next thing his body needs: food. All the containment equipment is here. We got to get him back to the dock. The boat might still be seaworthy."

"So how do you... the baby."

"When we brought it to the trailer, he came. It's highly unlikely that he won't come for it again."

"Yep.," Eugene answers not liking what has to be done. They go back to Gothel.

"Where's the infant?" Rapunzel asks.

"In a secured facility. Why?" Gothel answers and asks.

"Where's the facility?" Eugene asks looking Gothel right in the face.

' _Water, water, water.'_ The Green Death thinks, looking for something to drink while walking in the more suburban area of San Fransokyo. Finally, it stumbles upon a strange hill with a pond right next to it. He walks through a line of flimsy tiny trees and goes to drink. The water tastes horrid, but his thirst forces him to drink. Near by a bizarre tiny mammal makes a weird sound as if the thing is looking for a fight. It won't be much of a meal, but it's the biggest edible thing he has found that hasn't evaded him. After he's about to shallow the mammal down a light flashes in it's three right eyes. "I AM BLIND! I AM BLIND! Must get away!" he growls, stumbling away. Unknown that what happened was that a human had taken a picture of him and the flash of the camera got into his eyes.

While the Green Death is trying to hydrate and feed, a group of security guards see an oncoming car at the site of the Draconic Park San Fransokyo amphitheater. They jester to the driver to slow down and order him. They narrowly get out of the way as Eugene, driving Rapunzel's car, barrels through the wooden post and heads towards the actual amphitheater. Upon seeing the open gate, "How did they manage to get that off Isla Dreki?" Eugene asks.

"Are you sure it's the same gate?" Rapunzel counters as they pass through it.

"Not a doubt in my mind. I got to give Gothel this, she at least reuses," he comments, driving all the way through to the other side. They continue through a smaller gate and inside are fixed cages. The two get out and start looking for the infant Great Death.

"There it is," Rapunzel says, finding the baby with little effort. They open the cage and Rapunzel goes inside. "It's sedated. Really heavily. Give me a hand," she orders and the two carry it back to the car. Rapunzel sits in the back with the Great Death more or less on her lap.

As they walk, "When dad sees us again with the baby, isn't he going to be like: 'YOU!' You know may be some sort of angry recognition."

"Who knows? Maybe without the Red Death breathing over his shoulder, he'll be happy as a clam to see us," Rapunzel comments.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" a security guard asks.

"We're taking the kid. If you really want to stop us, you're going to have to shoot us." Eugene answers. The guard does nothing as Eugene backs the car out.

"How will we find the father? It's not like there's a homing device."

"Don't worry I know a better way; just follow the screams," Eugene answers, turning the car around and drives out.

Meanwhile in downtown San Fransokyo, the Green Death is poorly recovering from being blinding in his right eyes. And all the screaming two-legs and noisy bugs are not helping. He's lost, disorientated, still hungry (that four legged mammal was not much of a meal) and still thirsty (the horrid tasting water has not quenched his thirst). On top of all that, are the strange trees that produce weird fruit that changes colors and when he tries to eat them, they only cause more pain. His mouth is still healing from when he ate that two-legged parasite from the bug that tried to help the larger one that tried to eat his child. It's all so confusing, as he walks and tries to catch one of these two-legs that all narrowly manage to evade him. The noises of this weird jungle are really messing him up, not that the thirst and the hunger are helping.

Eugene and Rapunzel arrive on scene when a car drive past them with the Green Death following it, but he missteps and collides with a gas station pump. They pull to the side. "The infant's too drugged." Rapunzel comments before Eugene can say anything about waking it.

"Daddy's not going to know we have it, unless it makes some kind of sound!" Eugene says a little too loudly.

"Come on, wake up, come on." Rapunzel says trying to wake the infant.

Just then the Green Death shakes off what happened and smells something familial, his child. He turns to see Eugene and Rapunzel in the car with the infant inside. He roars, "GET AWAY FROM MY BABY!"

"I think he knows." Rapunzel comments. They look up and see the Green Death starting to close the distance. Eugene as quickly as he can backs the car out and turns it around and guns it.

"Eugene! Slow down a little." Rapunzel orders as she looks over her shoulder fearing they may lose the Green Death.

"Uh, no," Eugene says without even looking in the rear view mirror. As they drive, a small fleet of police cars arrive at an intersection they are driving through. As soon as the police see the Green Death, they can't seem out of there fast enough before the Green Death collides with some of the vehicles.

As they reach the waterfront, the baby Great Death starts crying. "DAD!" "DAD!" "DAD!".

"This fella's almost fully awake. Do you know where you're going?" Rapunzel asks, struggling with the baby Great Death as Eugene drives past warehouse after warehouse.

"Yeah. The waterfront's on the other side of these warehouses," Eugene answers, looking for a place to turn to the right and get on to the other side.

"Is there anyway through?" Rapunzel asks, doing a quick scan and finding none. It doesn't help her attempts to restrain the baby Great Death.

Looking at the situation and knowing they are running low on time. "There could be," Eugene says, finally turning to the right and going through a fairly cheaply constructed warehouse. The car is worse of the wear, but they are finally on the other side. "There we go," he says, after parking the car and getting out of it. He walks to the rear right passenger door to take the baby Great Death, "You'll have to follow me now."

"You got him?" Rapunzel asks as she passes the infant to Eugene.

"Yep," he answers and they start to run as best as they can towards the dock.

After not hearing the Green Death behind them. "Where's the Green Death? Is it still behind us?" Rapunzel asks. And speaking those words, the Green Death breaks through the same warehouse they just came through and continues to follow them as they head to the ship.

In her car parked near the ship on the other side of the now gone fencing, Gothel in on her car phone. "Shoot it. Tell them to shoot it," she orders. As she witness Rapunzel and Eugene running past the car and towards the ship. "No, No, you idiot, the Green Death. Shoot the Green Death, I want the baby back alive," she hangs up, getting out of her car soon after. She speed walks to follow Rapunzel and Eugene onto the ship. After about 30 seconds, Gothel is on board, "Flynn Rider!" she shouts just missing the two as they carry the baby Great Death into the cargo hold. She then notices the two as they run away from the cargo hold towards the ship's edge as if to jump off the ship. "What have you done with the infant?" she shouts, following them and then witnessing them jump in the cold water of the bay. In the distance, InGen helicopters were en route to the ship.

Just then Gothel hears the cries of the infant Great Death. She heads back towards the cargo hold and climbs down into it cautiously. "Are you there?" she asks. Once down inside, she starts looking for the infant. The first thing she finds is the mussel; it had been removed. She then sees the baby Great Death behind some netting used to keep the cargo in place. "There you are," she says, leaning down towards it. The baby growls at her and backs away from her. It calls out to its father again. Unbeknownst to Gothel, the Green Death has gotten on board and is entering the cargo bay. The baby evades Gothel and rejoins its father.

Gothel turns to follow the baby only to now realize she's for the most part trapped. She tries to get her back along the wall and use the disheveled cargo as a barrier as she makes for the stairs. She doesn't get half way up them when the Green Death grabs her by her legs and throws her on to the floor. She desperately tries to crawl away but the baby Great Death jumps her and makes its first kill.

Outside, SFPD starts to come in force and create a perimeter. During that time, Rapunzel got the tranquilizer the guard told her and Eugene about earlier and climbs up back onto the ship, heading to the highest point so that she can get a clear shot. Eugene follows her up, but then heads to the control of the cargo bay top. He pushes the red button to lower it. He watches as the Green Death raises it's heads and roars in defiance.

At Rapunzel's vantage point, she readies the air rifle, inserting the tranquilizing dart. As she loads and aims, the InGen helicopter gets to within range with the man on the side of the aircraft. As he prepares to aim, Rapunzel fires and the tranquilizer dart lands in the neck of the Green Death. He roars upon feeling the dart pierce his skin and slowly he succumbs to the tranquilizer. Eugene watches on as the cargo bay closes. As much as Eugene may want to gloat, sometimes it just sucks to be proven right.

Two mornings later, in Rapunzel's apartment for her time in San Fransokyo the TV is on its CNN Live covering the return of the Green Death and the baby Great Death back to Isla Santa. "Now there's a really first-rate shot of the ship's deck," the voice of the anchor man said. "And the cargo hold that, for the moment anyway, contains the animal itself, presumably with the infant alongside it." Watching the TV is Vanellope, Eugene and Rapunzel, but Vanellope is the only one wake as Rapunzel sleeps leaning into Eugene as they sleep sitting up on the couch. "Now by our calculations, they should be nearing the halfway point of this trip. Jim can you still hear me there?" the anchorman asks the field reporter.

"Yes, I can, Bernard. We are in fact halfway to the island. It is 206 nautical miles from our present location. The ship is moving at about twenty knots which will put it in at about 11:30 AM Eastern Time. One of the Navy's primary concerns through all of this has been safety, and if we take a look at the ever-growing escort around the ship, they're taking no chances of a repeat of the San Fransokyo incident." The reporter narrates as the screen changes to show the fleet of destroyers around the cargo ship.

"Okay, we're going take a moment here and run the tape of our interview of Nicholas St. North from earlier today. He's the former CEO of InGen Bioengineering and the company's largest shareholder, owning approximately 51% of all common stock issued to date and 75% of the company's total stocks issued to date. The man who has come forward to spearhead this movement to only to return these animals to their island but to keep the island, Isla Santa, itself intact," the anchor man says as they go back to the station and air a section of the recorded interview with Nicholas St. North.

Sitting in a professional suit version of his typical Christmas red with a Christmas green tie, St. North starts, "It is absolutely imperative that we work with the Costa Rican Department of Biological Preserves to establish a set of rules for the preservation and isolation of that island, Isla Santa. These creatures, like so many other require our absence to survive, not our help. And if we could only step aside, step completely out of the way, and trust in nature... as a man I have come to respect and admire above all others, Dr. Eugene Fitzherbert, once said, 'Life will find a way'."

Vanellope turns off the TV and looks at her father and Rapunzel and smiles, happy for the two. She also takes out a black marker. "A little fun before I have to wake them up," Vanellope evilly chuckles.

Two hours later, Eugene, Rapunzel, Ralph and Vanellope arrive at the address where the late Finn Hofferson left his niece. They are in a car and had parked it along the road, acting more like lost tourists taking a moment to re-read their map. "Alright so who is going to tell Astrid and the rest of the family and what exactly should be said?" Eugene starts.

"Well since Ralph and I brought the baby Great Death into the trailer, we should," Rapunzel suggests.

"I think only you should, Rapunzel. I may be a great with Vanellope, but from my experience women are generally better with kids," Ralph points out.

"Maybe I should do it, I did accelerate the time table," Eugene chimes in.

"No offense dear, but you are not the most tactful in your delivery of bad news," Rapunzel points out.

Unbeknownst to the three adults Vanellope rolls her eyes and gets out of the car. She does to the house and knocks on the door. A woman answers the door. "Good day, are you and your family lost?" the woman asked.

"Actually we're here to see Astrid Hofferson. It's about her uncle Finn."

"What happened to Uncle Finn?" comes the voice of a young Astrid Hofferson, coming to where her current guardian and Vanellope are.

"Your uncle died saving us from a Great Death. I think he took the dragon down with him. We didn't find him... I am so sorry," Vanellope says, kneeling to be eye to eye with Astrid. Vanellope couldn't help, but tears up a little as Astrid's clearly starting to go through the grief process.

"Thank you for taking the time to inform us, but you should go," the woman says. Vanellope nods and leaves.

As she left, Vanellope could feel Astrid not taking this all well. She entered the car, "Took care of it," she says, taking her seat. "I don't think she took it well, but it could have been worse. Let's go."

"Sorry for making you feel like only you could do it," Eugene points out, feeling regret for not solving the problem.

"Whatever, just start the car and go." Vanellope says sounding annoyed, but really she was hiding her tears.*

 **Epilogue: The Funeral of St. North**

A year later, 1998, the large family of Nicholas St. North stand as his casket is lowered into the ground, among them are Toothiana Bunnymund, her mother, E. Aster Bunnymund, Elsa Arendelle, Anna Arendelle, their father Walt and their mother, Rapunzel Corona, her father Roy and her mother. With them Vanellope Von Schweetz, Eugene Fitzherbert, Kristoff Bjorgman, Jackson 'Jack' Overland Frost all of them having joined the family following Eugene's marriage to Rapunzel the year before and even now Rapunzel signs show there is going to be at least one new member of the family before the year is out. Also in attendance are Dr. Valka Haddock and Dr. Claudia 'CJ' Jose. The priest has finished all the ritual and says, "Mr. St. North's requested that Eugene Fitzherbert have the last words before he is buried. Dr. Fitzherbert..."

"Um... where do I begin." Eugene pauses and takes a breath. "I am not going to say anything about how I often felt about him, what he did with Draconic Park and what happened as result. If you want to know all that read either of the two non-fiction editions of my book, although the third edition, 'The Vindication Edition' is probably the most fair towards him. But I have to say, I have grown to admire him. Yes many bad things happened because of what he did, but he was a man motivated by one thing, to remind the world of the wonder it possesses. And I can't believe I am about to say this, 'an aim not devoid of merit.'" Eugene pauses again. "I remember when we first met, I ran the numbers for the project and I told him it would blow up in his face and that I'll have the last laugh. But in all honesty I do feel like laughing." Eugene then chuckles, it's not disrespectful. "It's easy to forget all the good a man has done when the last thing people hear about is an error in judgment and dies before he has the chance to correct his error as best he can. Nick, was one of the few men that had and took the chance to right his error as best he could before he died." Eugene breaks.

After he take another breath. "Many people died because of Nick's choices there is no denying that, but to say that he all alone is to bear the responsibility is just...wrong." Eugene stops again. "Nicholas St. North's vice was not arrogance, he never believed that he knew better than everyone else, his vice was ignorance. Yes, he had the intelligence to do what he did, but he lacked the wisdom to consider whether or not he should. To his last day following the incident of Draconic Park, he, however, did all that he could to correct that error and prevent others from making the same wrong choices. I am not going to say that he died redeemed of or still damned by his bad calls. I will say however, it took him a while but he learned from his errors and tried to teach others the wisdom he gain. May God accept him for who he strove so hard to be 10,000 times more readily than I have rejected him for who he was until he welcomed me and my children into his family." Eugene finishes. "Who will help me bury him?" He asks as he grabs a shovel to bury St. North.

"I will." all the men, Kristoff and Jack included, answer and each grab a shovel and take off their jackets and nice shirts.

"So will I." Valka and CJ say, joining in the burying of Nicholas St. North.

Author's Notes:

* What? You think I forgot about this teed-bit of continuity...

The epilogue is taken from several considered ideas for how to end the movie.

 **[1]** this is an old term for a ship docking


End file.
